Stumbled
by Braelyn Rae
Summary: Andy's heart raced violently as she fumbled into the passenger's seat of the car, the barrel of the gun never once moving from her temple. She heard a noise from behind, and turned to see a little boy in the backseat, whimpering in fear. Her stomach dropped—what the hell had she just stumbled upon? Set immediately after 3x12. SAM/ANDY!
1. Chapter 1

Title: Stumbled

Summary: Andy's heart raced as she fumbled into the passenger's seat, the barrel of the gun never moving from her temple. She heard a noise from behind, and turned to see a little boy in the backseat, whimpering in fear. Her stomach dropped—what the hell had she just stumbled upon? Set immediately after 3x12. SAM/ANDY!

A/N: I have to admit, this is not _completely_ an original idea (though it is mostly). The main premise of this fic is based on actual events, the rest is purely fiction. I will not be following any the real-life events after the first chapter, but will instead be changing most of it to fit Rookie Blue. Enjoy.

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Despite the book with the rules her mom gave her, despite her break-up buddy, despite everything, Andy McNally could not get over Sam. Not completely. Rule number eight was to avoid thinking about your ex, whether good or bad thoughts, and to refocus your thinking on the future–that rule was impossible. For the past hour, she had replayed her last conversation with Swarek in her mind, over and over again. She still couldn't believe he had the audacity to approach her, to make sure she was alright—which not only broke rule number three, but made her feel bitter towards him. It was no longer his job to care about her, and that's exactly what she told him. She wished she had said more.

She wanted to tell him he had hurt her, more than anyone else. Because unlike her mom, dad, Luke, and everyone else who had let her down, he made her a promise—no one else did. He told her he wouldn't let her go without a fight. He broke that promise. Maybe that's why it hurt so badly. Maybe it was because she couldn't talk about it to anyone—Nick didn't count. Everyone else had their own drama, Traci lost Jerry, Gail was abducted, then her suspension, Chris found out he was a dad… it was just a bad month.

A car zoomed past, pulling her away from her thoughts and back into reality. She reacted quickly, stepping on the gas pedal and quickly pursuing the speeding vehicle. She turned on the sirens and lights, grateful for the distraction—maybe riding solo today wasn't the best of ideas.

The red Honda Civic did not put up a fight, and quickly pulled over to the side of the road. Andy drove up behind him, parking several feet away. She pulled out her ticket book and reached for the radio to call it in, but caught movement from the corner of her eye. She looked up to see the Honda's driver door open and quickly dropped the radio, scrambling to her feet. She placed a hand on her holstered gun, it giving her a sense of security. "Sir, get back into your car, now." Her voice was shaky, but commanding still.

The other driver seemed to ignore her, as he continued to walk towards her. Andy gripped her gun, pulling it from its place, but the man was faster than her. He raised his weapon, aiming is straight at her, before she had a chance raise hers. Her heart seemed to stop for a moment, and fear shook her very core. She was used to excuses, pleas even, from people she pulled over—this was definitely new.

"Put your gun down!" The man yelled at her, gesturing to her handgun with his. "Throw it!"

"Okay, okay!" She said quickly, trying to keep her voice calm and even. She didn't want to give this man any reason to pull the trigger. She bent over slowly, sliding the gun under the wheel of her car. She definitely did not want to make it easy for him or anyone else to get. She stood up, raising her hands in surrender. "Okay, gun's down."

The man's breathing was jagged, and he looked more scared than angry now. "Why'd you pull me over, lady?"

"You… you were speeding." His question took her by surprised, confusing her. "You were going twenty of the limit."

"Damn it!" He cursed, kicking the ground and sending dirt flying—the gun never once moving from her. "You should have just let me go!"

_Yeah, I'm beginning to wish I had_, Andy thought. She could literally feel her body pumping adrenaline through her veins, causing her hands to shake.

"Get over here." He ordered, nodding towards the hood of her car. She obeyed without protest, not seeing much choice in the matter. She kept her hands raised; trying to show him she was not going to mess around. "Stay there."

Andy bit her lower lip, trying to formulize a workable plan. The guy seemed on the verge of a meltdown, she sure as hell did not want that happening while he held a gun to her head. "Listen, you don't—"

"Shut up!" She felt the butt of his gun slamming against her forehead before she fully realized what he was doing. She fell to her knees, the impact giving her an instant, splitting headache. She felt herself starting to fade, and forced herself to stay alert. It took every bit of self-will to not pass out. "Shit!"

Andy could feel blood trickling down her face, but the adrenaline rush helped null the pain, at least to a manageable level. She used the hood of the car to push herself into a standing position, the palms of her hands feeling scratched and dry. "That was probably not your best idea."

"You think I don't know that?" He snapped, sounding regretful of his decision already. "Damn it… damn it!"

Andy stayed quiet, not wanting to provoke him anymore than she had already. She watched him pace back and forth, the gun never once leaving her direction. Trying to tackle him was completely out of the question—he would have too much time to react, to shoot her before she close enough to touch him. She looked down, seeing the tip of her gun poking out from under the car.

"Don't even think about it." The man warned, as if reading her mind. He stepped closer to her, pressing the cool metal barrel against her temple. "Get in the car."

Her eyes widened in alarm, surprised. Before she could ask him which car, he pushed the gun harder against her skin, directing her towards the passenger seat of the Honda. She walked slowly, each step taken with caution. She tried to keep the shakiness down, but the thought of being abducted brought resurfaced memories of the night Gail was taken.

The man walked ahead of her, opening to door to his car. He did not once give her an opportunity to take him down. "In."

Andy's heart raced as she fumbled into the passenger's seat, the barrel of the gun never moving from her temple. She heard a noise from behind, and turned to see a little boy in the backseat, whimpering in fear. Her stomach dropped—what the hell had she stumbled upon?

"Turn around!" Andy broke eye contact with the terrified toddler, and looked at her captor. For some reason, he did not look as threatening as before. For the first time, she noticed his eyes, filled with fear. He was young too, younger than she was. Early twenties, tops. He was sweating profusely, not because it was hot, because it was anything but, more likely because he was scared. "In the backpack right there, there's some duct tape. Get it."

Andy glanced down at her feet, spotting the black, well-worn pack on the ground. She pulled it onto her lap, sifting through its contents until she found the tape. She handed it to him, but he shook his head, refusing it.

"No, you're going to wrap your feet together with it." He said, the gun in his shaking hands no doubt growing heavy.

She took another look at the scared kid in the back, before silently complying with the man's orders. She wrapped several layers of the heavy-duty tape around her ankles, not bothering to leave a little slack to try and escape later. She knew the man was unstable, she was not about to risk him getting angry and endangering a child's life.

"Now your hands."

She did not protest. She tried as best she could to wrap the spool of tape around her wrists, using her mouth to hold the tape during the process. When she was sure he would be satisfied, she cut the tape with her teeth, letting it fall to her lap. She could not remember every feeling this vulnerable before. "What about my mouth?"

"I'm not some kind of an idiot." The man snapped, sounding almost offended. "People would notice that."

He was right. A woman in a police uniform with duct tape over her mouth would probably be a dead giveaway.

Her abductor reached over and felt the restraints, obviously feeling comfortable with her work as he lowered his gun. He grabbed the tape and her hands, pushing them onto the arm rest of the door. He wrapped several layers around her wrists and the door, making sure there was no possible way she would be going anywhere. He did a good job, Andy noted, already feeling her circulation being cut off just the slightest bit.

"Now I can see your hands at all time. You won't have the chance to try anything." He explained, as though she hadn't put it together already. She knew good and well what he was doing.

The man shut the door, her bones feeling like they might jump out of her skin at the movement. As her captor ran around to the driver's side of the door, Andy took the opportunity to ask how the kid was doing. The boy did not have a chance to respond before the man was back in the driver's seat. "Don't talk to him."

He threw the car into gear and sped away, leaving her squad car parked on the side of the road, the driver's door wide open.

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Well, that's all for now, folks! Please leave a review and let me know what you thought.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Wow, I am so excited to have so many people interested in this story, and especially some former readers (nice to 'see' you again!). You guys are just too awesome (don't stop though)! Enjoy!

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"Epstein!" Frank Best's voice shouted above the chatter of the busy police station, drawing the attention of nearly everyone in earshot. Sam Swarek's head shot up with interest, wondering if the rookie had gotten in trouble again. It had been a pretty slow day so far, he would take any bit of excitement. "I just got a call... it appears that there is an abandoned squad car out on Harrison road. I need you to go check it out, see what's going on."

Dov quickly jumped to his feet, nodding rapidly. "Yes sir. Which police unit is it?"

Frank seemed hesitant to respond, glancing in Sam's direction. Sam raised his brows with curiosity. "1520."

Epstein looked confused. "That's, uh, that's…"

"McNally's unit." Sam finished for the stammering kid, now understanding why Frank looked the way he did. "What the hell is going on, Frank?"

"We don't know if anything is going on." Best tried to assure, talking directly to Sam now. "There's been a report of an abandoned unit, and McNally is not answering her radio. It could be nothing, but we need to check it out."

Sam stared at him in disbelief. He knew Best was just doing his job by trying to keep everyone calm, but there was no way in hell Andy would have left her car and not be answering her radio if everything was fine. Something was up, knowing the trouble she always seemed to get herself into, probably nothing good. He felt a painful knot form in his stomach at the thought. "I'm going too." He said, leaving no room for negotiation.

Best nodded, not seeming surprised. "Fine, but I still want Epstein to go."

"Yes sir." Sam stood from his desk and hurried towards the squad cars, not bothering to see if Dov was following him. His mind was flooded with endless list of possible situations that Andy could have gotten thrown into, none of which were comforting.

He heard the rookie's loud footsteps hurrying to catch up with him; up until that point, Sam had not realized he was running. He slid onto the police car, shoving the keys into the ignition and firing it up. He threw the car into reverse before Dov had a chance to finish buckling. When they were on the street, he turned on the sirens, imaging Andy's fury towards him for using them if this turned out to be nothing. It was worth the risk.

"Sir, I know you're worried, I am too, but we don't know if anything bad happened. She might be making an arrest, or—"

"Shut up, Epstein." Sam snapped, the rookie's words anything but comforting. "You know McNally as well as I do—this is not normal for her."

Dov sank into his seat, not bothering to continue. "Yes sir."

Sam sped past the other cars on the road, finding it hard to fully concentrate on the surrounding traffic while his brain was working overtime. His thoughts jumped around like a kid playing hopscotch, going from one extreme to another. One second he was thinking of the trouble Andy could be in, the next he was beating himself up for being such an idiot, for not talking to her sooner—for not apologizing and trying to work things out. As a cop, he should have known better. You don't always get a second chance because you never know what's going to happen. The next ten minutes seemed to last forever.

"There!" Dov shouted, nearly jumping out of his seat as he pointed out the white and black vehicle parked on the side of the road. "That's hers."

Sam pulled up behind the car, his eyes locking on the driver's door, wide open. A lump formed in his throat as he scrambled out of his seat, rushing towards the seemingly abandoned vehicle.

"The hood's cold." Dov announced, pulling his hand off the cool metal.

Sam leaned into the driver's seat, searching for a clue as to what happened here. He reached down and picked up the ticket book from the ground and listened as the car radio buzzed loudly—dispatch was still trying to get ahold of her. Sam dropped the ticket book as he popped the trunk. He walked to the back of the car, taking a deep breath before opening it. A mixture of relief and fear settled within him when he saw she wasn't in there. _Where the hell is she?_

"Sir!" Dov's worried voice brought him back to reality. Sam shut the trunk and hurried to the front of the car, finding Dov squatting by the front left tire. From the look on his face, Sam knew he wasn't going to like what the rookie had to say. "There's blood, sir."

Sam's heart sank when he saw the asphalt covered with splatters of blood.

"That's not all, sir…" Dov said, reaching under the car. "I found this, too."

Sam stared at the gun in the rookie's hands, his heart literally stopping for a second. He took the object from the rookie, his hands brushing over the serial number. He did not need to run the number to know that it would be registered to Andy. Wherever she was, she was unarmed–that scared the living daylights out of him. "Okay, this is officially a crime scene. Get the techs out here to photograph and bag whatever they can."

Dov stood to his feet and took out his radio. "Yes sir. Also, we can get the security footage from her car… we'll be able to see what happened here."

Sam nodded, trying to swallow away the lump in his throat. "McNally… what did you get yourself into this time?"

* * *

"_1020, please respond_."

Andy looked over at her captor, watching him tap his fingers against the steering wheel nervously. Her hand radio had been going off every couple seconds for the past two minutes, each time it did he seemed to get more jittery.

"_1020, please be advised, officers are on their way to your location_."

She felt the smallest bit of hope rise within her. They knew something was wrong—they were sending help.

"Throw it out the window." The man with the gun ordered suddenly, bursting her small bubble. "A-and your cell phone too, throw them both out the window. I don't want any cops to be tracking one of your GPS'…"

Andy stared at him in disbelief, trying not to laugh. "I can't. I'm duck taped to the door, remember?"

The man threw his head back, annoyed. He quickly glanced over his shoulder, before cutting across two lanes and pulling the car to a screeching halt on the dirt shoulder. "Where are they?"

"The radio is on my shoulder here," she gestured with her chin. "And my phone is in my left pant leg pocket."

He removed the radio quickly, but hesitated for a few seconds before reaching down into the pocket on her lower left thigh, fishing out the phone. The hesitation he had gave her a little comfort; at least he did not appear to be a pervert. The man rolled down his window and tossed the electronic devises onto the road, before pulling back into the flow of traffic.

A silence settled in the car, though it did not last long. The child in the backseat began to whimper.

"Are you okay?" Andy asked, glancing at the boy in the review mirror. The little boy, who she realized could be no older than three, shook his head of brown curls, starting to cry.

"Be quiet, kid." Their abductor warned, his voice more annoyed than threatening. "I told you to stay quiet."

The boy only cried harder, burying his face into his pudgy hands.

"Shut up!"

"Hey, hey!" Andy shouted above the cries of the child. "Screaming at him isn't going to do any good. He's scared, can't you see that?"

"Shut him up then. I can't concentrate with a crying kid!" He snapped at her.

Andy twisted in her seat as far as her restraints would allow her to. "Hey there," her voice forced cheery. "My name is Andy, what's your name?"

The boy's cries quieted as she spoke, staring at her, unsure. He wiped away his tears. "Are you a p-leese-man?" He asked in a whisper.

She smiled. "Yep. Everything is going to be okay." She eyed the driver for a second, knowing very well that her words were lies, before turning back to the boy. "And you are very brave. What's your name?"

"G-Gavin." He said, his voice shaky.

"Nice to meet you, Gavin." She smiled. "How old are you?"

Gavin held up his hands, showing off three fingers proudly.

"Wow, three? You're a big boy already, huh?"

Gavin cracked a small, sad smile. "I want my mommy."

His words pulled on every heartstring she had. "I know you do, sweetie. You just have to stay brave for a little bit longer, okay?"

Gavin nodded, sniffling. "Okay."

Andy smiled at him again before turning to her captor. "Who is he?"

"None of your business." The man sounded worried.

Andy tried to bite her tongue, but she couldn't help but ask, "Please say you didn't kidnap this child."

"I told you to shut up, or the next sound you'll hear is my gun."

Andy sunk into her seat, silent, but her brain buzzing wildly.

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I love hearing from you guys! Please leave a review and let me know what you thought. Until next time (which I promise will be soon)! :)


	3. Chapter 3

You guys are the best! Oh my goodness. I love hearing from you! I wrote so much this weekend, now I just need to edit it up and post some chapters! Enjoy.

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"Play it again."

Dov hung his head, rubbing his eye with one hand as he pressed play with the other.

On the computer screen, they watched as a man approached Andy's vehicle. The wide angled lens showed with clarity as Andy quickly exited her car, reaching for her gun. Sam took a deep breath as he watched the man pull his out first, training it on Andy, who carefully lowered hers to the ground, tossing it out the frame out of the camera. The impact of the man's gun against her head still made Sam flinch, though he had seen the video three times already and knew it was coming. She was forced into the car, where she was no doubt being restrained. As the man ran around the front of the car, Andy turned back, facing the video camera. She said something before the man drove away, out of shot.

"What is she saying?!" Sam demanded to know, slamming his fist against the desk, startling the small group that had formed around them. "She was looking at the camera—doing you think she was trying to tell us something?"

"She wasn't looking at the camera, sir." Epstein corrected hesitantly, having paused the video on Andy's face. "She was looking towards the camera, but talking to someone else. Maybe there was someone tied up in the backseat?"

"Or it was a kid." Chris suggested. "You wouldn't be able to see a little kid's head in the video—they'd be too short."

Sam nodded, taking in the possibilities. "Did you run the plate?"

"Yes sir. This vehicle is registered to an Elaine Phillips, she—… whoa, hold on... She reported the car stolen three hours ago… her three-year-old son was inside at the time."

Sam scratched the back of this head, the stress giving him a headache. "Okay, call the mom in. Maybe she can give us a description of the guy."

"She already gave us a sketch." Dov said as he typed violently on the keyboard. "Printing it… now."

The printer beside Sam buzzed to life. He reached over and grabbed the paper once the printer spat it out. "Do we have an APB out on this guy already?"

"Yes sir, already done an hour ago." Epstein assured.

Sam crossed his arms as he stared at the kidnapper's picture, wondering what the hell this guy was doing. Abducting a police officer after an accidental kidnapping of a child? He wondered if that was better or worse for both victims.

"Did we track any of her GPS'?" Oliver asked, having been quiet the whole time.

Chris turned to the older officer, glum. "None of them were on."

"Okay guys! I just heard of the situation, and I'm on the case. Fill me in on what you know." Luke Callaghan said as he walked into the room, his arms crossed.

* * *

Andy glanced at the clock on the dashboard, realizing it had been over two hours since she had been abducted. They had been driving out of the city and into the middle of nowhere in silence – her captor shushed her whenever she had tried to start a conversation, so she gave up, wondering instead if any of her fellow officers had found her abandoned car yet. Surely they had by now…

"What will the cops do?" His question seemed to come out of nowhere, surprising Andy. "And I want the truth. If I don't like your answers, I hurt the kid."

Andy debated only a second about telling him a believable lie, but she was a horrible liar—the last thing she wanted to do was endanger the little boy. "When they find my car, they will also find my gun, and probably some of my blood. That's not what cops like to see. It will motivate them to find me—to find both the kid and me—even more. They've probably already watched the video footage from my car, so they will have your license plate number by now. They will find you in the DMV database and probably get a warrant to inspect your place of residence. They—"

"It's not my car." The guy interrupted her. "It's stolen."

_So, did he kidnap Gavin and steal a car? _Andy wondered. "Okay, well, they will track down the owner of the vehicle then and put an APB out for you and this car. Also, because a kid's involved, they will have everyone working this case. Detectives, police officers… everyone."

"I didn't mean to take—… I didn't know he was in the car when I stole it. I freaked out. I was going to drop him off at a fire station or something, but then you pulled me over."

Andy cursed herself. "You still could… we could drop him off somewhere—it would show good faith on your part."

The man shook his head adamantly. "We are not going to do anything. There is no 'we' in this mess. You're the one who screwed all of this up. I just needed the car, not some kid and a damn police officer."

"What do you want now?" Andy asked. "We could call the police right now and negotiate—"

"I'm not as dumb as I look," he said, sounding almost offended. "I know you guys won't let me go, even if I give up you and the kid. Until I figure out a plan, you guys are staying with me."

She knew he was right and dropped the conversation. They drove another half an hour in silence, Andy leaning her head against the cool glass, watching the trees wiz by. She felt the car slow down before she realized they were turning. Their captor had pulled off onto a dirt road, one that was hardly recognizable as an actual road due to the overrun bushes and overgrown trees. They passed a sign that read "CAMP SITE AHEAD" and drove a good fifteen minutes before they arrived. The man pulled up to an old, rundown cabin, parking on the side.

"I know the cops are going to be all over this car if I stay on the road… we'll stay here while I figure things out."

Andy panicked. They had passed no other cabins, no people on the road—it looked as though this camping area had not been used in years. No one would find them out here. "I don't think this is the best idea..."

"Yeah? Well, I could always weigh you and the kid down and throw you into the lake; does that sound like a better plan?" She did not believe he would actually do that, but it still sent a shiver down her spine.

The man grasped his gun as he stepped out of the car, opening the door to the backseat. Gavin squirmed away as he reached to unbuckle the car seat and started to cry.

"Hey, hey, it's okay, Gavin." Andy said softly, trying to shush the boy before their abductor had a chance to get mad. "He's not going to hurt you. We're just going to stay here for a little bit, okay?"

The boy looked terrified, but nodded anyway, not taking his eyes off Andy.

The man awkwardly lifted the child out of the car seat, setting him on the ground as he moved towards Andy's door. He pulled out a knife, holding it in one hand and the gun in the other. Keeping the gun pointed to her head, Andy watched as the man carefully cut off the layers of tape from her feet and hands, not once getting close enough to nick her skin with the blade.

"Go." He pushed the nozzle of the gun against her back, telling her to lead the way. The wooden steps were old and creakily, sounding like they would collapse under her weight. She tried the front door, not surprised to find it locked. "Break a window, then send the kid in to unlock it. Might as well make him useful."

Andy stared at the man, his words angering her. She found a log on the porch, and covered her face as she broke the glass window. Her captor was right—Gavin was the only one small enough to fit through the window. She cleared away the glass as best she could, making sure there was no shards left that could possibly harm the boy.

She turned to Gavin, lowering herself to his eye level. "Okay, kiddo. I need you to be a big boy right now. I'm going to help you through this window, and I need you to go unlock the door. Do you think you can do that?"

The brown-eyed boy nodded.

"Good." Andy praised, feeling proud of the little man before her. She helped him through the window and waited anxiously as she listened to his footsteps walk their way to the door. She heard the click of the deadbolt, then the door opened with a loud squeak. "You did soooo good, buddy!"

Gavin did not smile. He stepped aside to let them in.

The cabin was dark musky and looked as though it had not had visitors in quite a while. Several inches of dust had been collected on top of the sheets covering the furniture.

"Take the sheets outside." The man ordered Andy. She silently complied, pulling off the filthy fabrics from the chairs and couch and throwing them over the rails of the porch outside. When she was back inside, her eyes fell upon the man sitting on the couch, little Gavin sitting next to him, looking absolutely terrified. In the midst of the quiet stillness, a large grumble escaped the boy's stomach.

"You hungry, kid?" The man asked. "Maybe the owners left some canned food in the kitchen. Andy… it is Andy, right?"

Andy nodded, surprised he remembered. "Yes, Andy McNally."

"Go see if there's something in the kitchen that's edible." He said, gesturing towards the room with his gun. "Just know, if you try anything, like escaping for instance, I will not hesitate to put a bullet in the kid's brain."

Andy swallowed and nodded. "I understand. That will not be needed." She hurried into the kitchen and rummaged through the nearly empty pantry. She found a can of green beans that hadn't expired yet and a bag of rice. She reached towards the sink, praying there would still be running water – there was.

She quickly got to work making 'dinner'. The stove was a wood-burning stove, so she had no problem finding a couple logs and a book of matches to start it up. She pulled out some pots from the overhead cabinets and started boiling water for rice, feeling very grateful to her mother for attempting to teach her how to cook the last couple weekends—before that, she did not even know how to cook rice. She threw another pot on the stove and heated up the green beans.

Twenty minutes later, the three of them sat at the table eating the pathetic dinner. The two cups of rice she had cooked was not nearly enough to fill three empty stomachs, but she was thankful for it. As she finished her last bite, she realized this was her first time eating dinner with other people in over a week. She had been quite the loner ever since her breakup with Sam…

After dinner, the man let her go to the bathroom alone, though not without another threat to the kid's life. She no longer believed his threats. She did not think for one second he would harm a hair on that boy's head, but of course, she did not let him know that. She nodded nervously to him, letting him think she was scared by his words.

The bathroom had just one window, with a view of a nearby lake. She sighed, feeling the weight of the day taking its toll. She turned on the faucet, letting the water run freely over her dried hands, before cupping a handful and beginning to wipe away the dried blood from her forehead.

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So, what did you think? Please leave a review and let me know!


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: You guys are the best. Enjoy!

* * *

Sam sat on the edge of his desk, crossing his arms as he waited for the room to fill up with people. Everyone was on this case—even off duty cops were pulled back and other cases put on hold. When an officer was involved, things were different.

It had been over four hours since they found Andy's abandoned car, since they discovered she was abducted. In that time, they were really no better off than when they first started their investigation. They tracked her GPS' in her phone, finding it a couple miles east of her car's location, which gave them only a general direction to look towards. She could be anywhere. Why the hell haven't they started implanting officers with GPS chips yet? First Gail, now Andy—who else needed to be taken before they would do something to stop it?

"Listen up, people!" Luke called out loudly, the room quieted instantly. "I know we're all tired, and worried about our fellow officer, but you need to remember that officer McNally is not the only victim in this case. There is a scared little boy who was kidnapped earlier this afternoon, who also has a family that is worried about him. Andy might be the only one who can save his life right now. This guy might decide to dump both of them on the side of the road, alive and well. We don't know, but we have to believe that they are both unharmed, and that we are going to find them."

Sam wanted to believe him. He wanted to believe the bastard would do the right thing and let them go, unharmed, but he could not. He had been a cop for far too long. He raised his eyebrows when he noticed Luke staring right at him. He hated working with Callaghan as much as the detective hated working with him. But they needed each other… to find Andy.

"Okay, that's it, people. Grab a slice of pizza and get back to work, this will be an all-nighter." Luke clapped his hands together, ending his little speech. He maneuvered his way through the crowd towards Sam. "Hey, I know what's going through your head right about now, but I need you alert and focused. Once we get Andy out of this mess, then you can take the time to remember how badly you screwed up and maybe, just maybe, do the right thing and apologize—try to get her back. Now is not the time. Stop regretting your actions and get to work."

Sam watched Luke as he left the room, looking sickly as he spoke his own words. Sam could not help but wonder why the hell Callaghan cared so much…

* * *

Andy was in the kitchen, cleaning the dishes when she heard it go off. An electronic beep—a cell phone. She turned quickly off the water and stopped breathing, straining her ears to listen for the sound again. She did not hear it, but was startled by a loud crashing sound. She quickly dropped the dishrag and hurried into the living room, trying to find the source of the noise. She watched as her captor stomped on the small device, breaking it into hundreds of little pieces.

"Woah! What the…?! What's wrong?" Andy asked, drying her wet hands off on her pants.

The man stomped on the phone again. "Damn it!"

"What's wrong?" Andy asked again, hoping whatever was making him angry was in her favor. Maybe the police had just called—maybe they knew who they were after. Maybe she would be getting out of this mess a lot sooner than she had originally thought.

The man shook his head, looking more nervous than angry. "The cops are onto me. My buddy just saw a sketch of me on the news."

She was surprised that her captor was confiding in her. He sounded as if he forgot who she was employed by.

"Don't get your hopes up." He warned, as though he could feel the spark of hope that fluttered around within her. "My friend won't rat me out."

Andy hoped he was wrong, but tried to be rational about it. His friend probably would not have contacted him to warm him if he played on ratting him out.

The two stood there in silence for a moment, both wondering what each other were thinking. Her captor was the first to speak as he gestured to the mattress he had pulled out from a bedroom, that now laid in the middle of the living room floor. Gavin was sound asleep on it, having crashed right after dinner. "It's time to go to bed. You'll share that one with the boy... I'll need to tie you up again."

Andy nodded understandingly, holding out her wrists. He took them in his hands, pulling them around to her back. He taped a few layers of the duct tape around her raw skin, before giving her a slight nudge towards the bed. She carefully lowered herself onto the mattress, her back to the child. No matter what she tried, she could not get comfortable. She tried not the think about how badly her body would ache tomorrow, being in that position all night.

She did not remember falling asleep, but she must have slept awhile, because when she awoke to the sound of heavy snoring, the sun was already up and shining through the windows. She spotted her captor, sitting in an old rocking chair ten feet away, gun in hand as he slept.

Her body protested as she looked over her shoulder at the sleeping boy, her arms numb and in pain. Her brain began thinking up strategies. She wondered for a moment if she should wake up Gavin and tell him to run, to keep going until he found someone or a road. She knew realistically there was no way she could possibly do that. They were in the woods, if he did not get lost, he would probably end up running into a wild animal or something. He was only three. The only way she would ever possibly put that boy in that situation is if that was the only option. If she thought there was no way the police would find them, or that their lives were in immediate danger. She did not have reason to believe that… yet.

She heard the body beside her stir, and rolled onto her back, crushing her sore hands underneath her weight. "Hey, Gavin." She whispered. When he did not respond, she rolled further, onto her other side so she was now face to face with the boy. She looked at his scrunched up face and tear-filled eyes and realized he was crying. "Oh, Gavin, it's okay. It's going to be okay. Come on, where's my brave boy?"

"I don't want to be brave anymore." The small boy cried, louder this time. "I just wanna go home."

Andy's heart broke again for the little boy. She wished more than anything at that moment that she could wrap her arms around him to give him a hug. She searched for the right words to say, wishing she had babysat more growing up so she would be better with kids. "I know, sweetie… I know you do."

"My m-mommy always t-tells me s-stories when I'm sad." He said between cries, his small frame shaking with each sob. "C-can you t-tell me a story?"

She stared at him, her mouth hanging open as she stammered. "I… I don't know any stories…"

Gavin cried harder.

"Don't cry, honey." She said nervously, feeling the pressure of trying to remember a story from her childhood. "Oh, there's one about the three bears! Um, Goldilocks!"

Gavin shook his head. "I don't like that one. The bears scare me."

"It scares you… okay, um…" She racked her brain. "I don't suppose you like the one with the three little piggies then?"

"The big bad wolf!" Gavin's tears seemed to disappear and he looked excited, surprising her.

"Okay, three little piggies it is." She forced a smile, hoping she could remember the story. "This little piggy went to the market…"

Gavin was thrown into a fit of giggles. "No, no! That's for tickling! Do the big bad wolf!"

She laughed, forgetting everything that happened the past day as she watched the little boy before her. "My bad. Um… how does it start? Oh! Um, there was once a mama pig that had too many piglets, so she had to send three of them away. The first was a lazy little pig, and built his house out of straw. The second was just as lazy, and made his house out of sticks. The third little pig was the smartest of all three, and built his home out of brick. One day, a wolf came to the first piggy's home and said… little pig, little pig, let me in! The pig answered, not by the hair of my chinny chin chin!"

"Then he huff an' he puff an' he blow the house down!" Gavin finished for her, grinning ear to ear.

Andy chuckled. "Yes he did! The first piggy ran to his brother's house, the one made of sticks. The wolf followed him, saying little pig, little pig, let me in! The pigs answered, not by the hair of my chinny chin chin!"

"Then he huff an' he puff an' he blow the house down!" Gavin and Andy shouted together, forgetting that their captor was sleeping just feet away.

"Then the piggies ran to their brother's house, the smart one who built his house of brick. The wolf followed them and said, little pigs, little pigs, let me in! The pigs answered, not by the hair of my chinny chin chin!"

"Then the wolf huff an' he puff… but the walls not come down!" Gavin said, his face so serious that Andy had to laugh.

"What happened next?" Andy asked.

"He climbed up, up, up the house and thought he was being smart. He found a hole in the roof and went down it, but there was a pot of hot, HOT water there! Splash! He died. And the pigs lived happy ever after."

Andy nodded with a smile. "They sure did, sweetie."

"Mommy always says we will live happy ever after too."

"Your mommy is a smart mommy. She's right. You will live happily ever after, Gavin. You'll be home soon. I have a lot of police friends who are out there looking for both of us. And your mommy and daddy too. They will find us."

"Promise?"

She stared at his almond shaped eyes, his innocent trust almost overwhelming. "I promise." She regretted the word she second she said it.

Gavin smiled the most genuine smile. "Thanks, Andy."

"Do you have kids?"

Andy jumped at the unexpected question, being pulled back into the nightmare she was living. She rolled over to look at her captor, who stared at her, gun not in sight. "What?"

"Kids? Do you have any of them?" He repeated.

She shook her head, confused. "No… I'm horrible with kids."

"I don't believe that." He looked between the little boy and her. "You'd make a great mom."

That was the last thing she expected to her from him. No one had ever said that to her before. She couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if Sam and her had made things work. Would kids ever have been in the picture? Would she have wanted them to be? It was odd what you thought about while being held against your will…

* * *

That's it for now. Please leave me a review and let me know what you thought.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: I am so blown away by you all- thank you for your kind words! I am so excited that you all love Gavin as much as I do! Gavin is based off my little nephew, Stephen, who was in a freak accident a couple months ago when he tripped over a downed power line. He was electrocuted and sustained third degree burns on both his legs. Six surgeries later, he still has a long way to go but is such a little trooper! I was inspired to write a story about a sweet little boy, and he fit into this storyline so well. :)

* * *

"I got something."

Sam sat up with a start, immediately waking from his sleep-like state. He rubbed his eyes and downed the remainder of the cold coffee. Standing, he moved towards Chris, along with the rest of the cops who chose to pull an all-nighter screening the tip line and going through criminal databases, trying to identify their suspect.

"What is it?" Luke asked, joining the small group that gathered around the rookie cop. Callaghan was looking as tired as Sam felt.

"I just got off a call from an anonymous tipper," Chris began, swirling in his chair to face the group. "He said he knew who stole the car and kidnapped Andy, and swore that the guy wouldn't even hurt a fly. He said the guy was in a tight spot and probably wasn't thinking—"

"Did he give you a name?" Oliver asked, sounding worn-out as he cut to the chase. Sam shot him a grateful look.

Chris nodded nervously. "Yes sir. His name is Dean, Dean Andrews. He's twenty-three. I pulled up his license on the DMV." He turned back to his computer, pulling up a picture on the screen. Oliver reached for the sketch of their suspect, holding it up to the DMV picture, comparing the two.

"That's him." Sam confirmed, any trace of fatigue suddenly dissipating as he was reenergized with the feeling of hope. "Get an APB out on him."

"On it!" Dov shouted, hurrying to his desk.

"That's not all," Chris said, pulling up another image on the computer—a mug shot. "He was arrested for assault, served two years. He was just released two weeks ago."

Sam's stomach churned thinking about Andy being held against her will by that type of person.

Luke grabbed his coat, preparing to leave. "I want his address."

Chris typed rapidly as he searched for the information. "He doesn't appear to have a place of residence… or his own vehicle."

"Explains why he stole a car." Luke muttered, more to himself than anyone else.

"Where the hell is he living then?" Sam wanted to know, feeling the anger pulsing through his veins. They could not catch a break—why couldn't they just once have a case where everything just fell into place? "Get me the addresses of any local family or friends."

"Right." Chris continued to type on his computer. "Parents are deceased… looks like he has an older sister who lives here. No other family members listed. I will continue searching for known associates of his."

"What's his sister's address?" Luke asked.

"I'll text it to your phone, sir." Chris said, distracted with his tasks.

"Good." Luke said, heading towards the door. "Swarek, you're with me."

Sam was already on his heels, not bothering to wait for an invitation.

* * *

Sam rapped his fist against the apartment door with more force than he had intended. He pulled his hand back, burying it under his arms as he crossed them. He glanced at Luke, who looked calm and collected, which bugged him. How did he manage to stay so calm when Andy's life was on the line?

There was a click of the deadbolt unlocking before the door opened. A woman in her late twenties looked between Sam and Luke, swallowing nervously. "C-can I help you?"

"I'm detective Luke Callaghan and this is Officer Swarek, we're looking for Marissa Andrews." Luke spoke, definitely pulling the rank card as he spoke before Sam could get a word out.

"That's me…" the woman said hesitantly, opening the door a bit wider. "Is something wrong?"

Sam answered before Luke could, making the detective squirm. "We have a few questions regarding your brother… is it okay if we come inside?"

"What about Dean?" She asked, sounding panicked as she completely ignored Sam's question.

"Do you know where your brother is?" Luke asked.

She shook her head. "No…"

"Do you know what your brother is involved in, ma'am?" Luke inquired, sounding as calm and professional as ever. It was as though he had asked for directions.

Marissa looked down for a moment. "No."

"Can we come inside?" Sam asked again, inching his way closer to the door.

She shook her head again. "No, no I don't think that would be a good idea."

"Miss Andrews, your brother is in a lot of trouble at the moment. I know you think you're protecting him by not talking to us, but you're not." Sam said, leaning his foot against the door, blocking her attempt to close it. "The best thing you can do for him is help us find him before someone gets hurt."

The woman sighed, defeated. She swung the door wide opened, allowing them in. "Did he really do it? What the news is saying? Kidnap a kid and that cop?"

"It looks like it." Luke said gently, following Sam into the apartment.

She nodded slowly, gesturing them towards a nearby couch. "Why don't you take a seat?"

They did so in silence.

"I don't know if I will be of much help." Marissa said, sitting down on a chair opposite of them. "I haven't seen my Dean in over a year."

Sam raised an eyebrow, worried as to the reason why. "Why is that, ma'am?"

"Well, for starters, he's been in jail." Marissa said bluntly, her hands twisting together in her nervousness. "I visited him once, but he didn't want to see me. He was really angry."

Sam shared a worried look with Luke.

"Do you have any idea why he would steal a car?"

She shook her head. "No… none. I mean, he doesn't have one anymore, but…"

"Do you know where he might be? As best as we can tell, he was heading east. Do you know if there's any reason as to why? Any friends or family that way?"

She shook her head again. "I really don't know. To be honest, he never really had many friends, and then after he went to jail, he probably lost the few he did have. Dean is kinda a loner… the only person he ever hung out with was Julie, his girlfriend."

"His girlfriend?" Sam asked, perking up. "Do you know where Julie is?"

Marissa sighed, wiping a tear away. "Julie died while Dean was serving his time… that's why I went to visit him… to tell him."

"How did she die?" Luke asked.

"She overdosed." Marissa shook her head sadly. "Dean had a drug problem when he was younger too, but he got clean. He was trying to get Julie into rehab before he got busted."

"So you don't know of anyone he might be in contact with?"

"No, I'm sorry." She said with all sincerity.

Luke rose to his feet, Sam quickly followed suit. "Thank you for your time, ma'am. If you can think of anything, please call us immediately." The detective handed her his business card.

They were almost out the door when Marissa called after them.

"Wait…"

They turned back to her.

"There is something else…" She looked like she was fighting an internal battle. "He… Dean has a kid. After he went to jail, Julie took the kid left, nobody knew where she went. I heard through a friend that after she died, the kid got placed into foster care, but I don't know if that's true. Dean might be looking for his daughter. He just wants to see her. He wouldn't… he wouldn't kidnap her or anything."

"He already kidnapped one child and a cop." Sam said bitterly, knowing he should feel bad for the sister but was unable to. They were searching for a man who had nothing left in the world but his kid. It scared him to imagine what he would do to see her.

"Please… don't hurt him. He really is a good guy… he had a rough childhood… he really never had a chance."

Luke glanced towards him, raising his brows as if asking if he was ready to go. Sam nodded, silently following him back to the car.

* * *

I know this was a shorter chapter, and there was no Andy in it, so I promise the next one will be longer to make up for it. Please leave a review and let me know what you thought. I love hearing from you.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: You guys are awesome! Thank you all for your kind reviews. Enjoy!

* * *

Andy stood with a frustrated sigh, exhausted. Her body still ached from sleeping in her restraints. It did not help that she had spent a good portion of the morning scouring the cabin, every cupboard and cabinet, searching for anything that could be considered edible. It had proven to be an impossible task. They had devoured the little bit of food the owners had left behind the night before.

"Andy?"

She had been pacing in the kitchen, trying to psych herself up enough to confront her captor about getting food that she hadn't noticed Gavin approach. She turned to see the boy in the doorway, who looked smaller than she remembered. She wiped away tears she had not realized she cried, and flashed a wide smile. "Hey buddy."

"Andy are you okay?" Gavin asked, leaning his weight against the doorjamb as he looked around the kitchen—she had created quite a mess.

"Yeah… yeah I'm great, kiddo." She lied badly, lowering herself to his level. "How are you holding up?"

Gavin was quiet for a few seconds. "I'm hungry."

Something in her broke. Call it a maternal instinct, call it being human, it didn't matter, when she heard those two words come out of Gavin's mouth, she knew something had to be done. She momentarily forgot that she was the kidnapped and he was the kidnapper as she marched into the living room. The man was on the couch, but quickly stood to his feet, started by her presence. When he raised his gun, unsure if he needed it or not, she was suddenly pulled back into reality—she was not really in the position to order him around, but that did not stop her from trying.

"We need food."

He looked confused by her outburst, but slowly lowered his gun, as if sensing he did not need it. He turned away from her, scratching the back of his neck—something Andy had learned he often did when stressed. "We can't… it's not a good idea."

"Then you need to sort whatever you're trying to figure out, and soon." She said firmly, surprising herself by how authoritative she was sounding. It was not every day an abductee talked to her captor with such conviction. "You cannot let that little boy starve."

He nodded absently, glancing towards the kid. "Yeah, yeah I know…" He threw his head back as he sighed. "It's just… I…—"

"You what?" Andy interrupted, crossing her arms. She was tired of his excuses, tired of not being able to do anything to get them out of here. He needed to make some important decisions if they were ever going to get out of this mess. And right now, food was that important decision.

"I don't have any money. So, unless you're okay with turning a blind eye while we steal what we need, you're just going to have to sit tight while I figure things out." He sounded annoyed, embarrassed even.

Andy reached into her pant leg pocket, pulling out her wallet. "I have a credit card…" The man shot her a look, as if asking if she was stupid. She looked in her cash sleeve. "I also have twenty-seven dollars. That should be enough to get some food and anything else we might need for a couple days."

He hesitated before agreeing, as if debating whether or not it could be a trap. "Yeah, okay, um, the cops will be all over us—we'll need disguises or something." He eyed her outfit. "Your police uniform will draw unwanted attention."

Andy nodded and removed her jacket, smelling the stench of old sweat as she tossed the garment on the couch. She felt exposed and in need of a serious shower as she stood in the middle of the room in her tank top. "I don't have other pants I can change into."

"That's fine. Take your hair down, try to cover your face."

Andy pulled the ponytail holder out and ran her hands through her curly hair—feeling the tension releasing from the day old braid. She caught her captor looking at her—not just watching, actually _looking_. He caught her gaze and turned away quickly, as if embarrassed. Andy felt a shiver travel down her spine, trying to not think about it. "This better?"

"That's fine." He said, not making eye contact with her. "I need something for me…"

"I think I saw a baseball cap in bedroom closet… I'll go grab it." She left without receiving permission. She found the cap in two seconds, but took a moment for herself before she went back. Having him stare at her the way he did made her feel uncomfortable, and not just in the I'm-uncomfortable-because-I've-been-abducted sort of way. She had not really allowed herself to think about her captor in any way other than that as a man who panicked and felt his only option was to take her instead of be arrested. Now she could not help but wonder if he had something else on his mind.

She knew she was overthinking it, he just looked—it was normal. If any other guy on the street had done the same thing, she would not have thought twice about it. She tried to shrug it off.

"Here you go." She said, handing her captor the cap as she entered the room. He shoved it on his head, twisting it around until it fit him the way he wanted.

"Okay then, let's go."

* * *

The drive to the store did not take long. Twenty minutes, tops. Ten to get out of the wooded area and another ten minutes to the nearest town. It did not surprise Andy when her captor drove past the parking lot of the small market, turning instead into the alleyway. Obviously he did not want to take any unnecessary chances.

Once he cut the engine, Andy stepped out of the car and went to help Gavin unbuckle, thankful that her captor had not felt the need to restrain her for the drive. She took Gavin's hand once they both were on the ground, leading him towards the market's entrance.

"Wait." The man called out, stopping Andy in her tracks. When she turned around, he was biting his lip, and she felt a sense of dread—she was not going to like what he had to say. "Gavin, come here."

The little boy's hand shook within hers—he was scared. She looked down at Gavin; he stared back at her with his big eyes, begging her to protect him. She turned back to the man, watching him slip a hand into his jacket pocket—no doubt reaching for his gun in case of resistance. "What are you doing?"

"We can't all go in—we'll be noticed right away." He said, his voice sounding desperate for her to understand. "Gavin, you need to stay in the car while we go inside. We'll be super quick, I promise."

"You can't just leave a kid in a car, someone will notice him." Andy said, knowing exactly what he would say next.

"Not in the front… in the trunk." She knew the words sounded bad, even to him. "He will be fine. We'll be in there five minutes, max."

Gavin shook his head violently; trying to step away from the man's outreached arms, pulling Andy with him. "No!" He screamed, the volume surprising Andy. "I don't want to go in there!"

"Shh!" The man hushed, pressing a finger to his own lips. "It will be okay, kid. It—"

"No!" He wrapped his arms around Andy's legs, squeezing tightly. "Andy, please, no!"

"You can't be serious!" Andy said, angry, pushing Gavin behind her in attempt to protect him. "Put me in the trunk and take him with you. He's no more recognizable than I am."

The man sighed, pursing his lips together. She could tell he did not like that idea. No doubt he wanted her with him, just in case she tried something. "Fine." He said at last, glancing towards the kid. "But you have to be silent while we're in the store."

Gavin whimpered.

"And you—if you try anything, I swear—"

"Yes, I know, I know, you'll hurt the boy." Andy finished for him, leaning over to pry Gavin's hands away from her thigh. His grip was tighter than she had given him credit for. "Come on, Gavin. You'll be fine. You're just going to buy some breakfast, okay? You still want something to eat, don't you?"

He nodded. "Yes, but I want to stay with you."

It was in that moment that she realized how attached she had become to this kid. His curly brown hair and almond shaped eyes—they made her heart melt. "Listen to me, I can't go with you. You need to be a big boy right now. Go get some food and come back and get me, okay?"

He nodded reluctantly. "Okay, Andy."

The man took Gavin's hand in his and gestured Andy towards the trunk.

The trunk was already popped open—Andy wondered how she had missed that. She shot Gavin a reassuring smile before climbing into the small space, the muskiness tickling the inside of her nose. Her captor shot her a final look, before slamming the door closed.

The darkness was immediate, as was the sudden surge of anxiety. She had never been locked in a trunk before, and even though she knew they would be back soon, it was definitely unnerving. She took a deep breath, trying to focus on the situation at hand. She knew she only had one shot at this. She reached into her pant leg pocket, pulling out her driver's license she had removed from her wallet earlier. She searched for a crack to slide it through, but found nothing.

She knew her only chance of leaving behind the breadcrumb was when he let her out of the trunk, but the thought of him discovering it frightened her. She had gained what little of trust of his he had; doing something to break that may not only endanger her, but Gavin as well…

* * *

Dean shuffled down the aisle, tossing a couple packages of roman noodle into the basket. He glanced at the list Andy had made, making sure he got everything that was on it. Looking over at Gavin, he watched as the boy eyed the row of candy. He moved next to him and cleared his throat, the boy looked up, nervous. "You want one, kid?"

Gavin took a moment before nodding slowly.

"Go ahead." He said, giving his approval. "Pick one out."

The boy looked unsure, but slowly reached for the bag of skittles anyway, putting it in the shopping basket. Dean took the boy's hand and pulled him along to the checkout counter.

As the cashier rang up his items, Dean's attention was drawn to the television set over head, silently broadcasting a news station. Pictures flashed across the screen, a sketch of him, followed by pictures of Andy and Gavin. He swallowed and pulled the baseball cap down, lowering his head and drawing Gavin closer to him. He threw cash on the counter and grabbed his bagged groceries, not bothering to wait for his change as he hurried out the door.

He let go of Gavin once they made it to the alley. He reached for his gun as he unlocked the trunk, not aiming at anyone or anything in particular, just needing to feel covered. As he lifted the trunk's door, his eyes fell upon Andy's curled up form. He waved the gun in her face, reminding her who was in charge, before moving towards the driver's seat. "Let's go. Buckle the kid up."

Dean watched as Andy scrambled out of the trunk, closing it behind her. She led the boy to his car seat. He was so distracted looking out for cops, that he did not notice her dropping something on the ground…

* * *

That's it for now! Please leave a review and let me know what you thought.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Sorry for the delay! Had a busy week with work and school… and life just in general I suppose. This chapter is extra long though, so I hope it makes up for it. Enjoy.

* * *

"Hey Sam… Sammy."

A hand shook his shoulders, pulling Sam from his deep sleep. He sat up, alert but foggy, momentarily forgetting where he was. It was hard to make out the face in front of him in the dim lighting of the interrogation room, but when he squinted enough, the form morphed into that of Frank Best. The only reason Frank would be waking him up is if—Andy.

"What's wrong?" He asked, his voice tired and hoarse.

"We got something."

Sam rubbed his eyes as he stood from the couch, following Frank out of the room. He took a glance at a nearby clock, realizing he had slept for four hours, before hurrying into the 'command room' as Luke deemed it.

"Alright, since we have everyone here…" Luke began as he spotted Sam walk into the room. The detective was looking more tired than Sam felt. "We just got a call… someone found Andy's driver's license."

The once silent room began to murmur, whispering amongst themselves. Sam raised his brows, surprised. After nearly twenty-four hours of no communication of any sort, they find her driver's license? He wondered what had changed. He was so distracted by his own thoughts that he missed the rest of Luke's speech. He tuned back in when Traci started talking.

"—three hours away, so we got to get moving. Since her driver's license was found at a food market, we are hoping they are staying low nearby. Because of that, we will need a couple units to come with us to canvas the neighborhoods. We will be camping out at the local sheriff's department, so plan on being there for a while. Any takers?"

Numerous hands rose—Sam didn't bother.

"Okay, Peck, Epstein, Diaz, and… Collins—you're coming with." Luke said, pointing to the raised hands.

"I'm coming too." Oliver Shaw said, standing to his feet.

Luke nodded. "Okay, fine. The rest of you, I need you all to keep doing what you've been doing." He glanced around the room. "Okay guys—let's bring them home."

The room came to life as people rushed around. Sam moved over to Luke, the two of them had an unspoken arrangement that they would be 'partners' on this case. Luke gave him a nod and Sam grunted back a hello.

"Might want to grab some coffee." Luke said, looking over Sam's rugged appearance. "I have a feeling it's going to be a long day."

* * *

The market was small and rundown—no doubt the only food market in the town of a few hundred people. Sam stepped out of the detective's car once they parked outside the seemingly empty building and glanced around at the nearly empty streets, finding the quiet odd. Luke did not seem to notice the quietness of the street as he made his way into the market, Sam followed.

"You the cops?" A loud voiced asked from behind the cash register. They turned to see a middle aged man poke his head over the counter.

"Yes. I'm detective Callaghan and this is officer Swarek—you called in finding Andrea McNally's driver's license?" Luke asked, flashing his badge in the man's face.

The man nodded. "Yeah, yeah… name's Ed. I went on a smoke break a couple hours ago, found it just lying in the middle of the alley behind us. Thought it was odd—she definitely wasn't from around here."

"And you called it into the police?" Sam asked.

"No, Eric did that. I didn't know she was a cop or that she was missing… the kid who works here was just coming on shift, he told me he saw her on the news—he called it in." The manager said, handing over the piece of plastic to Sam.

Sam felt a stabbing sensation in his gut as he looked over the license, the smiling picture of Andy hurting him as he could not remember the last time she had smiled… he did that to her. "Do you remember if she was in here?"

Ed shook his head. "She wasn't… but that man and kid was." He said. "Like I said, I didn't know that about the story. Don't watch too much TV—rots the brain ya know. Didn't think twice when I saw them come in… thought it was a father and son deal. After Eric showed me their pictures, I recognized them right away. They were here about four hours ago."

"Can I see your surveillance footage?" Luke asked, not sounding bothered by the fact Andy had not been with them, which infuriated Sam.

"Sure, sure. I got it ready for ya." He pulled out a laptop and pressed play. He pointed at the screen as the video played. "There he is, and there's the boy."

They watched in silence as the man moved around the store, pulling the kid with him as he tossed items into his shopping basket. They were in there just a few minutes. It did not look suspicious in the least—he couldn't blame the manager for thinking nothing of it.

"Okay… you said you found the license out back?" Luke asked once the video ended. "Do you have surveillance out there?"

"No… but there's a computer store next door does."

"What did they buy?" Sam asked.

The manager shrugged. "Just regular stuff… roman noodle, rice, beans… a candy bar."

Luke thanked him while Sam made his way out of the store. He passed the license to the detective as Luke jogged to catch up with him.

The computer store, if you could even call it that, was even smaller than the market.

"We need to see your surveillance footage of the alley." Sam said as he approached an employee.

"And you are…?" The nerdy looking guy asked, looking up from a bunch of wires he was fiddling with.

"Police."

The man looked interested. "Really? Cool! Yeah, I have cameras everywhere. From how long ago?"

"Four hours." Luke answered, leaning against the counter as the man typed onto a nearby computer.

"Cool, I only keep stuff for forty-eight hours, but you're definitely good. What happened?"

"Can you just pull it up?" Sam asked, impatient. Luke shot him a disapproving look.

The nerd nodded. "Okay then. What are you looking for?"

"Anything… hopefully a red Honda Civic." Luke said.

"Okay… let's see." The man continued to stare at the screen. "Oh! There it is!"

Luke and Sam strained to see the computer screen. A red car had parked in the alleyway, Dean and Andy got out. Andy looked good—unharmed. From what Sam could see, she hadn't been tied up in the car and there was no gun in sight. She really did not even look like she was being held against her will. One thing that stood out in Sam's mind was the fact she wasn't wearing a jacket—it was freezing outside.

They watched as Andy helped Gavin out of the car, then it looked like a dispute occurred. They were talking to each other for several minutes. Sam felt his anger flow through his veins as he watched Andy climb into the trunk of the car—she was in there for nearly five minutes before Dean came out. He was holding a gun this time, something must have spooked him. They watched Andy drop her driver's license before getting back into the car and driving away.

"He kept the same car…" Luke noted audibly. "That's a good sign. He knows we're looking for him, so he's going to keep it off the road. With the food they got, and him keeping the same car—I would say they got to be somewhere around here."

"I agree." Sam said, feeling like they were getting close to finding her. "They'll probably be somewhere where the vehicle won't be recognized." He looked at the computer guy. "I noticed that this town seems very… empty. What's up with that?"

"It's not camping season. When it's the season, man, this place is packed, but when it's an off season, it's like a ghost town."

Sam turned to Luke. "Cabins are empty."

Luke nodded, pulling out his cell phone. "I'll get units on it now."

* * *

"You okay?"

Andy groaned as she looked over at her captor, every inch of her body seemed to ache. He looked concerned. "Well… I was tied for several hours yesterday, then all night last night, and then I was squished in a trunk this morning—my body isn't really too happy with me right now."

"I know…" he sounded regretful while he pulled something out of his pocket and tossed it to her. "I thought you might need something for that, so I swiped them."

Andy eyed the bottle of pain killers, both surprised and grateful. She twisted off the cap and popped a few into her mouth, swallowing them dry. "Thank you."

"No problem." He said with a nod and slight smile. He turned to Gavin, who was on the floor several feet away doodling on some scratch paper they had found. "Hey kid, want your candy?"

Gavin whipped his head around, his eyes wide and his lips turning into a large smile. He nodded enthusiastically and scrambled over, his hands outreached. The innocence of a child bewildered Andy. You could kidnap a kid and then offer him candy and you were suddenly his best friend.

She smiled as she moved over to the couch, sitting on the opposite side of her captor. They watched little Gavin as he devoured his candy, eating and licking every last bit he could find. It seemed like such a normal moment. If someone were to peek through the window and see them, they would never have guessed two of them had been kidnapped. She hardly felt like she was being held against her will anymore… it was an odd feeling.

"So…" Andy began casually, deciding to approach the sensitive topic. "Why are you doing this? What's your plan?"

Dean was quiet for a long moment. "I have a kid."

His words sounded heavy and his confession surprised her. She stared at him, trying to figure out why he was telling her this.

"She's uh, she's not much older than Gavin is." He swallowed as he looked at the boy. "But I screwed up. I screwed up bad. I punched a guy—he deserved it, but I was charged was assault and got two years behind bars. I missed half of her life."

Andy felt a lump form on her throat. "I'm sorry."

"Me too." His voice cracked. "My girlfriend Julie, she… she moved away after I went to jail. Didn't bother to tell me where—I guess I don't blame her. One year into my sentence I found out she died… OD'd. Julie didn't have any family, so my daughter got placed into foster care."

"I don't understand… why isn't she with you now?"

Dean looked down, sullen. "We were fighting a lot while Julie was pregnant. By the time she had the baby, we had broken up. She was mad—probably thought we'd never get back together… she didn't put me down as the father on the birth certificate. After we got back together, it just never really came up, you know? It's not really something I even thought about…"

Andy felt a pain in her chest—her heart broke for him.

"So when I got out and wanted to see her, I didn't know where to start. I just wanted to see my daughter."

"Did you petition the courts for a paternity test?" Andy asked. "I know it's a weird situation and all, but it happens more than you think…"

Dean shook his head. "I try to stay away from the courts—haven't had the best of luck with them. I just recently found out where she is and I made up my mind to see her. It was a rash decision to steal the car—I didn't have it planned… it just seemed like the perfect opportunity at the time. It was just sitting there, running, begging to be stolen. I would have abandoned it somewhere when I was done with it, but once I heard the kid crying in the back, I knew it was too late. I was in big trouble. If I stopped then, I wouldn't see my daughter. I really was going to drop him off at a fire station or something, but then you pulled me over and, well, you know the rest…"

Andy nodded slowly. She knew in that minute that he would never hurt Gavin—probably would not lay a finger on her again either. They could probably walk out of this cabin and he would do nothing to stop it—not that she would ever take that chance. He was keeping them as bargaining chips—his only want was to see his kid. "If… if you let us go, I could make arrangements for the two of you to see each other."

"No." He said as he shook his head. "I don't want her to see me arrested. She's gone through enough in the few years she's been alive, she doesn't need to meet her screw-up dad that way. Maybe it would be better if she never met me—she shouldn't have to remember me this way. I just want to see her, not even talk to her, just see her—make sure she's doing okay."

Andy let out a shaky breath. "My mom left my dad and me. I spent so many years wondering why she left, and how she could do it. I imagined the worst—that she found someone else and started a new family with kids to replace me. I would lie in my bed every night for years, just imagining." She looked at Dean. "You can't let your daughter grow up carrying that. Her knowing that you tried so hard to see her would be better than thinking you didn't care."

"You don't think the handcuffs would scar her?" He asked. "The going away for who knows how many years?"

"We could arrange something… you wouldn't have to wear the cuffs."

He shook his head again. "Andy… I'd like to believe you, but even if I did, I know your friends in the police department are probably pretty pissed with me… it would never happen. They wouldn't treat me as nicely as you are. You couldn't guarantee anything."

"No, listen, I have a lot of—"

"Let's just drop it, okay? I don't like getting my hopes up only to have them crushed."

Andy sunk into the couch, defeated.

"Want kids?"

She shrugged. "I didn't think I did… I mean, after what happened with my mom and growing up with a dad who drank… I didn't exactly have the most realistic view of good parents. I swore to myself I would never be like them, so I thought it would just be easier if kids weren't an issue."

"I can relate." He said with a sad smile. "How did you turn out so good?"

"What?"

"I'm not really a bad guy. Sure, I've had a rough childhood and made a lot of bad decisions, but who hasn't? But you… you turned out so good. Made something of yourself…"

She shrugged, never having thought about it. "I don't know. I guess I was lucky—my dad was a cop, so being anything but a cop never really seemed like an option. Don't get me wrong, I love my job, but sometimes I do wonder what it would have been like if I had grown up differently."

As silence filled the air, she let out a sigh. She never thought she would feel this way—pity for her captor. She used to not be able to understand how anyone could ever like the person who kidnapped them, until now. She cursed herself for seeming so weak.

"You should have a kid." He said randomly a few minutes later. "It's the most amazing thing."

Andy smiled as she looked over at Gavin, knowing he was right. "Yeah… that's really not possible at the moment though. I sorta fail at relationships... always seem to choose the wrong guy."

"You're still young, you'll find that someone."

"How do you know?" She looked at him, serious.

He shrugged. "You just will. You won't question it when it happens… when you're with the one that you're supposed to be with—you'll know."

_I thought I did know._ Andy thought, reflecting momentarily on her relationship with Sam. She pulled away from her thoughts as she focused on Dean. It was weird… this conversation they were having. She had never talked to Sam about this stuff; it was kind of strange to be having it with her kidnapper. After dating a man who never told her how he felt—about anything really—then to have a perfect stranger have a heart-to-heart moment… it didn't seem right. She felt a mixture of sadness and bitterness towards Sam for not having been that type of person.

* * *

Please leave a review and let me know what you thought. :)


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: So, I apologize for the wait (again). My school workload just doubled, amongst other things. I think the weekly updates will become more common… sorry! I wish I had more time! Enjoy.

* * *

Sam poured himself another cup of coffee—his fourth since midnight. He had spent most of the night with Oliver canvasing neighborhoods and campsites near the market where they had found Andy's license, but headed back to the sheriff's department once the older cop dozed off. He spent the wee hour of the morning on the computer, trying to figure out how far they wanted to expand the search.

"Officer Swarek?"

Sam looked up from the computer screen, his weary eyes falling Alice and Stanley Steel—the parents of the little boy who had been abducted. He groaned inwardly, looking around the office for someone—anyone—who was free to talk to them, but he was alone. He took a big breath as he stepped towards them. "Hey, Mr. and Mrs. Steel, I didn't realize you were coming…"

"We heard about your friend's driver's license being found here…" The mom, Alice, began nervously as she wrung her hands together. "We knew it had something to do with our son—we had to drive up."

Sam nodded understandingly, though he couldn't help but think it was a bad idea.

"Do you know anything? We heard that there was surveillance footage?" Gavin's dad asked.

"As of yesterday morning, Gavin is alive and well." Sam said, trying to word things right. "He looked good—great, unharmed."

The parents let out a sigh of relief. "How was your friend? The officer?"

Sam swallowed hard, nodding slowly. "Yeah, yeah, she's uh, she's good too."

"Good." The mom said, sounding relieved once again. She glanced nervously between her husband and Sam before speaking again. "Can we see him? The video I mean. They aired a small clip on the news, but we couldn't really see anything."

Sam thought about it for a moment, but nodded. "Sure."

Alice cried throughout the entire video while her husband did his best to comfort her. Sam wished he had the words to say to help, but honestly, he needed comforting almost as much as she did. The women he loved was in harm's way too.

"What chance does my son have of coming out of this… alive?" The mom asked once she composed herself.

Sam leaned against the counter, looking the poor women in the eyes. "One of the best cop's I have ever had the privilege of working with in with your son right now. She will not let any harm come to Gavin."

The mom smiled sadly. "Thank you."

* * *

Her body stiffened instinctively as she felt a hand slid across her mouth, pulling her from her sleep. Her eyes shot open and she was prepared to fight when she saw Dean standing over her, pressing his fingers against his lips, shushing her as he gestured towards the sleeping body next to her. It took her a moment to calm her racing heart and nod, saying she understood. He pulled his hand back and rose to his feet.

"I heard something." He whispered, moving towards the window and brushing the curtains back ever so slightly. "I think it's the cops."

Andy carefully untangled herself from Gavin, who had apparently decided her stomach made a good pillow, before hurrying over the window. She peered through the glass, the early morning sun temporarily blinding her as she looked for any signs of movement. She gasped—seeing a couple of uniforms running across the empty lawn, positioning themselves behind the red Honda. Dean took her hands and pulled her away from the window, having witnessed the same thing.

"How did they find us?" He asked, panicked as he reached inside his jacket pocket for the handgun.

Andy shook her head, not having the answers he wanted. Her hopes of convincing Dean to let them go were crumbling. This would probably not end peacefully—that thought frightened her. They were not planning on going in stealth-like, for if they were, they would have done so when it was still dark. From this moment forward, she was no longer just the victim of a kidnapping—she was a shield, a hostage.

"How many of them do you think there are out there?" He was nervous, pacing back and forth. "What are they going to do?"

Andy hesitated, wondering how this situation was going to affect him. What he going to go all crazy on her? "I don't know. I've never been in a situation like this before... I don't know the procedures."

"Do—"

There was a long bang on the door, stealing their attention. Andy kept an eye on Dean, who looked like he were about to jump out of his own skin.

"This is the police!" A voice shouted—Sam's voice. "Open up!"

Andy did not have time to dwell on the fact that Sam was just mere feet away, as Gavin had woken up crying, obviously terrified. She hurried over to the small boy, wrapping her arms around his shaking frame as she tried to calm him.

"Get the hell away from here!" Dean shouted back through the piece of wood, still pacing back and forth. "I have a gun! I will not hesitate to use it if you don't get the hell of the porch!"

"Okay, okay, don't do anything hasty." Sam's voice sounded calm, but Andy knew it well—he was worried. "We're backing off now… we're leaving a radio by the door, I would advise you to pick it up. It would be in your best interest to talk to us. You don't want to give up your say in what goes on here."

Dean grabbed his head, as if it were to explode. He took a couple breaths, nodding to himself. "Yeah, okay, I'll do it. You guys better not try anything funny! I am pointing my gun at your cop friend here."

He wasn't, but Andy knew his words would be enough for the cops to not try something.

"Okay, we are backing away now!" Sam's voice was faint, like he was a fair distance away.

Dean glanced at Andy and Gavin, the boy had stopped crying, but looked just as scared. "Andy, I'll need you for this."

She nodded, getting to her feet and leaving the whimpering child behind on the couch. She was silent as he slipped an arm around her shoulder and pressed the barrel of his gun against her temple. It was like dejavu, though this time she wasn't scared… at least not for herself.

"Open the door slowly."

As she turned the doorknob, she felt her captor squish against his. Together they walked outside, all eyes trained on her. She saw her friends—Traci, Chris, Dov—everyone seemed to be there. Sam stood next to Luke, his weapon drawn like the rest of them. They looked scared... and angry. She wished she could tell them that she was okay, and that Gavin was too, so there was no need to do anything rash or stupid—but how could one convey that? Her facial expression just wasn't going to cut it.

She felt her knees buckle as Dean's slam into her. Together they lowered down low enough for Andy to pick up the radio. The cold morning air nipped at her bare arms, causing her to shiver. She hoped they realized it was cold, and that she wasn't shaking because she was scared. She looked at Sam's concentrated face and shook her head slightly, pleading as best she could without words to stand down.

"Stay back!" Dean shouted, pulling her back with him, into the cabin.

As soon as she shut the door Dean let her go. Gavin ran into her, throwing his arms around her legs and nearly knocking her over. She handed the radio to Dean as she lowered herself to the boy's level, sweeping him up in her arms.

"That was a good decision." Luke's voice blared over the radio, calm and collected as ever. "My name is detective Callaghan. How is everyone doing in there?"

Dean stared at the device, as if unsure what to do or say. He handed it back to Andy. "You talk to him."

Andy shifted Gavin onto her hip and took the radio, hesitating a moment before speaking. "We uh, we're all doing great. There's no reason to do anything crazy."

"Andy…" Luke began, sounding casual. "Ask him what we have to do to get you guys out of there."

Andy looked at her captor, who shrugged helplessly. "I don't know…" he said. "I want to get out of here a free man."

"He wants to be cleared of all chargers." Andy relayed.

There was a pause. "I'm afraid that isn't possible. He stole a car, kidnapped a child and a police officer—there is no way he is getting out of this without consequences."

"T-tell him…" Dean stammered, "Tell him maybe no one's getting out of here."

Andy's eyes widened, and she shot a look at Gavin, who buried his face into her shoulder. "That is really not a good idea. They will have no choice but to take that threat seriously."

"Then what am I supposed to do!?" He threw his hands up in the air, the stress getting to him."

"Honestly?" She asked. "Give yourself up, it's your best shot."

He shook his head violently, waving the gun through the air. "No, I need to see my daughter!"

"Okay, okay!" Andy backed away. "You—"

"Is everything still okay in there?" Luke's voice asked through the radio.

"Yes, everything is fine." She responded, annoyed with the interruption. She knew Dean would listen to her over Luke, she thought about turning off the radio when it spoke again.

"Hey Dean." This time it was Sam's voice. Andy held her breath as he spoke, as if she were about to miss what he had to say. "We talked to your sister, we know about your daughter. I know you haven't seen her in a long time… we have someone bringing her here now."

Dean swallowed, looking at Andy, anxious.

"But we need a sign of good faith." It was Luke again, sounding forced calm. He was no doubt annoyed with Sam for taking over negotiations.

"What does it mean?" Dean asked.

Andy bit her lip. "They want you to let Gavin go. It will show them that you're willing to cooperate."

He nodded, thinking it over. "What do you think I should do?"

She stared at him blankly, her mind trying to catch up with reality. She knew that Sam had lied—they weren't bringing his daughter on scene. Even if there wasn't the problem of establishing Dean as the birth father, they would never bring a child onto an active crime scene. Sam had lied to save him, but he left her in a horrible spot. Lie to get Gavin out of here, or tell the truth to a guy who didn't deserve what had happened to him.

Of course she was going to choose Gavin, but it was a harder choice that it should have been. She knew the second Dean let the boy go that things would turn more aggressive, more violent. Cops would no doubt barge into the cabin, guns blazing. Someone would probably get hurt. She forced her most sincere face as she lied. "Letting Gavin go is the best bet to see your daughter."

She was, and always would, be a cop first—she would not allow Gavin to be in harm's way any longer than he needed to be, even if it meant things turning out ugly afterwards. She had to do her job and get the kid out of the equation.

Dean nodded, looking at the boy. "You want to see you parents, kid?"

Gavin nodded cautiously, pulling his face from Andy's shirt.

"Hey buddy," Andy said, taking one of his small hands in hers. "So, there is going to be a lot of police officers out there, okay? They're going to have guns, but they're not going to hurt you. There are there to protect you. They will take you to your parents. You are going to be brave, right?"

Gavin nodded, listening intently. "I promise."

"Good." She pulled him in for a tight hug, knowing very well this was probably the last time she would see him. His family would take him away and that would be that—he would soon forget about these last few days, as he should. "I'll miss you."

"Miss you too." He grinned.

Dean slipped his arm around the young boy's shoulder, leading him towards the door. "Keep your chin up, kid." He opened the door just enough for the boy to squeeze through, and closed it immediately after he was gone. He turned back to Andy, looking younger and more helpless than she ever remembered him looking. "Now what?"

* * *

I didn't have time to go through this and edit it, so I hope it's not too bad. Please leave me a review and let me know what you thought. :)


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Yay, I finally caught up on homework and I'm free to write again!

* * *

_**Previously on 'Stumbled'**_

_"This is the police!" A voice shouted—Sam's voice. "Open up!"_

_"We need a sign of good faith." It was Luke again, sounding forced calm. He was no doubt annoyed with Sam for taking over negotiations._

_"What does it mean?" Dean asked._

_Andy bit her lip. "They want you to let Gavin go. It will show them that you're willing to cooperate."_

_Dean slipped his arm around the young boy's shoulder, leading him towards the door. "Keep your chin up, kid." He opened the door just enough for the boy to squeeze through, and closed it immediately after he was gone. He turned back to Andy, looking younger and more helpless than she ever remembered him looking. "Now what?"_

* * *

_Five minutes earlier… _

Sam paced anxiously back and forth, his nerves nearly eating him alive. He knew he had to keep his cool if he was going to be of any help; Luke had already threatened to send him home. How was anyone supposed to keep a level head in situations like this? Half of the people on the scene knew Andy, most of them pretty well. How were they staying so calm?

"What the hell is going on in there?" Sam asked impatiently, storming over to Luke, his hands held up in surrender.

The detective looked up from his work, annoyed. "Swarek, get out of here. You already jeopardized this negotiation. You—"

"I was doing my job!" Sam spat. "More than you were doing! Every second that kid and Andy are in there with that bastard is a second too long. We don't know what's going on in—"

"Exactly!" Luke shouted, surprising Sam. This was the first time he had seen the detective lose it since Andy's disappearance. The once calm and collected man was feeling the same pressure he was. "Exactly. We don't know what's going on in there. That's all the more reason to approach things slowly. He hasn't hurt either of them; I really don't think we should start lying to him about seeing his daughter or whatever other crap you have planned. Keeping this guy calm and trusting that Andy is in there doing her job is one of our top priorities."

Sam glared at the detective. "You better be right."

"The door's opening!" A random voice shouted from a distance.

Sam whipped his head towards the cabin, watching as the door opened just a crack, letting a small body run out. The door slammed shut before the boy had made it to the steps. Sam seemed frozen in his place as he watched a group of cops hurry to the cabin, one sweeping little Gavin into his arms as they hurried away from the house.

Luke took a step closer to Sam, looking at him with just a hint of smugness. "I am."

Sam was dumbfounded. He didn't even register Luke's comment as he hurried towards the perimeter line, where the kid was being reunited with his tearful parents. He slowed his steps, approaching the family cautiously and signaling to Epstein and Diaz to get out of there.

"Mr. and Mrs. Steel… I know you just got your son back and this is the last thing you want to do, but I need to ask you son some questions."

The little boy sniffled in her mother's arms, but twisted around to look at him. "Are you going to save Andy?"

His innocent words made his insides hurt. "Yes, yes we're going to save Andy… but I need your help."

"Okay." Gavin said seriously with a nod.

Sam gave him a small smile. "The man who took you, is he pointing a gun at Andy?"

Gavin nodded again. "Yeees."

"Okay, um…" He wondered what questions would be appropriate to ask a toddler… or even how to word them. "Did the man ever hurt you?"

The little boy shook his head slowly. "No."

Gavin's parents breathed a sigh of relief, and his mother squeezed him tightly.

"Good." Sam smiled. "Did he ever hurt Andy?"

Gavin bit his lip, looking down and nodding. "Yes."

Sam's stomach twisted. "What did he do?"

"He hit her." Gavin said, his eyes big and unblinking. "He yelled at her. He put her in the trunk. He tied her up. She hurted a lot."

"She's hurt?" Sam tried to clarify. He wondered what Gavin meant by that. Andy had not seemed too bad off when her captor had brought her outside to get the radio.

Gavin nodded. "Yes. Her body hurted."

Sam was still unsure what he meant, but decided not to push it any further. "Did the man yell a lot?"

Gavin hesitated, as if thinking about it, before shaking his head. "Nope, but he did get mad."

"Officer Swarek?" Sam looked over at the EMT, standing a couple feet away. "We need to do a quick check-up with the boy… could you pick this up later?"

Sam nodded understandingly. "Sure." He flashed a smile at the boy and held out his fist, which Gavin quickly bumped with his own. "You did great, kiddo. Hang tough."

"Thank you officer Swarek." Mrs. Steel called out after him, her arms still wrapped protectively around her child. "We will be praying for your friend."

Sam smiled, giving them a wave. "Thanks." He hurried back over to Luke, who was in the middle of a conversation with someone from SWAT. "Hey, we've got to get her out of there."

If Luke was annoyed by the interruption, he didn't show it as he turned to Sam, his arms crossed as he glanced toward the rescued boy. "I know, we're not waiting any longer. The kid's safe now… we have to do something."

"Andy's in there." Sam reminded him, looking between the detective and the SWAT member.

Luke glared at him. "Why do you think I'm doing this? Andy's a good cop, she'll know what's coming… she'll know what she needs to do."

Sam clenched his teeth as Luke followed the man over to the SWAT unit, talking and pointing towards the cabin. He sighed, throwing his head back, looking towards the sky. He sent up his own quick prayer that Andy would be safe, as he had an eerie feeling that someone bad would happen.

* * *

Inside the cabin, Andy and her captor sat with their backs against the wall, both silent and both tired. The past few days had taken its toll on everyone.

"Why haven't they said anything?" Dean eventually asked, glancing towards the radio on space of floor between them. "I mean… I know they wouldn't thank me or anything, but you would think they would say something? Do you think my daughter's here yet?"

Andy was distracted by her own thoughts to pay any attention to him. She too was worried about the lack of communication from the police outside. She did not like the fact they did not acknowledge her captor's release of the child. They had to be planning something. She wondered what it was—and how she should react. What would they expect her to do?

"Andy?"

She looked at him, he seemed concerned. "I don't know. They're probably just busy interviewing Gavin and making final arrangements for you to see your daughter."

"Good, good." He nodded, seeming to buy it. "Hey, you don't think Gavin will be traumatized by all this, do you?"

Andy shook her head, finding it sweet that he was worried about the boy. "No, I don't think so. He's a tough cookie. He'll be fine."

"Good." He said again, sounding relieved.

Andy eyed the gun in Dean's shaking hands, noting that the safety was off—not something she would have expected when there were dozens police and no doubt a SWAT team outside. "Have you used that before?"

He chuckled and shook his head no, caressing the weapon. "No, never. Never even shot one of those pellet guns before. I really don't know the first thing about guns… this one's not even loaded because I didn't know how to."

Andy's heartbeat increased. "What?"

"It doesn't matter." He said with a shrug. "As long as they think it's loaded, that's all that matters."

She didn't know he if had meant to share that information, of if he even realized the consequences they could bring, but she knew she had a chance—a chance to end things right. "Listen to me, you have to end this now. You need to give yourself up. I'm telling you, that is the best thing you have going for you right now. Give me the gun, and we'll just walk out of here."

Dean chuckled again. "Yeah right. I'm not leaving here until I see my kid."

She sighed silently, wishing she could tell him that he wasn't going to see his daughter without him getting angry or doing something crazy. "Listen… I'm a cop. If I believe you about your gun being empty—which I do—I have to take you in. It's my job. I don't want to do that… it would be better for everyone if you give yourself up—especially for your daughter."

Dean looked angry at first, but his features softened as he thought about it. "I'll still get to see my daughter?"

"Yes." She lied, knowing she could not promise him that. "I promise."

He waited a moment before nodding. "Yeah, yeah okay."

Andy cautiously held her hand out, asking him without words for the gun. Dean hesitated a moment before placing it into her hand.

"You're not going to screw me over, are you?" He asked.

She shook her head, feeling guilty. "No. I wouldn't do that."

He gave her a slight smile. "So what, we just walk out of here?"

Andy nodded. "Yeah, that's it."

"Okay." He took a deep breath. "Do we need to go now?"

"I think that would be best." She said, reaching over and taking his hand into hers. "It's going to be okay."

"Thank you Andy."

Hand-in-hand, the two of them rose to their feet and moved to the door. She was so caught up in the moment that she made a mistake—she forgot to radio in her captor's surrender. She reached for the door knob, but before she could turn it, the door exploded—blasting into her and knocking her off her feet. She was thrown to the floor and the splintery wood landed on top of her.

Everything went crazy. Everyone was shouting and guns were pointed in every which direction. She watched as several officers gathered around Dean, shouting orders. She tried to speak, but she was struggling to breathe—the blast must have cracked a few of her ribs. "He's unarmed." She managed to gasp to no avail—her voice too weak and quiet to be heard.

"Put your hands up!"

"Drop your weapon!"

She struggled to watch as Dean got down on his knees, his hands up in surrender. He shot her a terrified look as he was pushed hard onto the ground—much rougher than they needed to be. She was so focused on what was happening with Dean that she didn't realize that Dov and pulled the door off her and was now standing over her, yelling.

"Are you okay?!"

She nodded, struggling to get up on her own and accepting Dov's extended hand. She groaned loudly as she scrambled to her feet, holding her ribs tightly as the pain spiked. "I'm fine, I'm okay." She tried to assure Dov's worried face.

"You're alive, but you're not fine." He argued, slipping his hand under her shoulders and helping her down the cabin's wooden steps. Her feet nearly gave out beneath her weight at one point, luckily Dov was a lot stronger than he looked and helped balance her. She tried to say she was fine again, but it was getting harder to breathe.

"Hey!" Luke called to Dov above the chaos of the crime scene. "Is she okay?"

Andy didn't hear Dov's response as in that moment Traci was by her side, helping her to the ambulance. She sat down on the gurney, her ribs screaming in protest at every move she made. She bit her lip as she tried to keep calm and not protest as the man shined his light in her eyes.

"Lucky you. Looks like you get a free trip to the hospital." The EMT said as he stepped back, pocketing his flashlights and waving his partner over. "You have a concussion."

She groaned. "Can't you just patch me up?"

"No!" Traci objected loudly.

"Sorry, it's procedure." The EMT said simply.

They made her lay down before they lifted the gurney into the ambulance. She had enough time to watch several cops practically throw Dean into the back of a squad car, and make eye contact with Sam's worried glance, before Traci hopped into the back of the ambulance, pulling the door closed.

* * *

So, what did you think? I promise Sam and Andy will have their moment, and soon! Please leave a review.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: I know, I know, I owe you all an apology and an amazing chapter… while this might not be amazing, I hope it was at least worth the wait.

* * *

_**Previously on Stumbled… **_

_Andy had enough time to watch several cops practically throw Dean into the back of a squad car, and make eye contact with Sam's worried glance, before Traci hopped into the back of the ambulance, pulling the door closed…_

* * *

_A few minutes earlier… _

Sam's heart felt heavy and anxiety raced through his veins as he stood outside the cabin door, standing behind half a dozen members of SWAT. He was just a mere few feet away from her—from Andy. He wanted so badly to ignore protocol and break the door down, but he forced himself to remain back. He had to fight tooth and nail to even be a part of the team going in, he was not going to risk Andy's life because he was just impatient.

The signal was given, and Sam raised his weapon, watching the SWAT leader count down from three with his fingers. The group of eight burst through the door, the weak wood splintering off its hinges. The noise level went from silent to deafening in less than a second. He made a quick glance around the room, not spotting Andy but seeing her captor running away.

"Get down on your knees!" Sam ordered, hurrying towards the man, who seemed to be looking around the room nervously, as if looking for someone. Sam didn't dare take his eyes off the man to see what he was looking at.

"Put your hands up!" A member from SWAT shouted.

Diaz hurried to his side. "Drop your weapon!" He said, though there was none in sight.

The abductor reluctantly lowered to his knees, his hands raised in surrender. Sam was confident in the four guns trained on the guy, so he holstered his own and pushed the man to the ground—hard. He grabbed Dean's arms and threw them behind his back and slamming a pair of handcuffs on his wrists, tightening them until the man groaned in protest.

"You think that hurts? Huh? You son of a bitch." Sam spat, pulling Dean to his feet and nodding his appreciation to the SWAT team. He appreciated them letting him be the one to formally arrest the bastard. Everyone here understood—no one had objected.

Sam held onto a handful of the man's shirt as he pushed him outside the cabin and down the stairs. He practically dragged him across the lawn as Dean's feet seemed unable to keep up with the demanding pace. Sam looked for Andy as he pushed the man to a squad car, but he did not see her. He grew worried, wondering where she was and if she was okay.

"I want to see my daughter, please. Just let me see her." Dean begged for the fourth time, bugging Sam. If this guy thought he was going to see his kid after everything he put Andy and Gavin through, he was nuts.

"Watch your head." He warned on autopilot, shoving the man into the backseat of the car, hearing a satisfied groan. He slammed the door shut, now free to find Andy. He turned around, his eyes immediately locking on Andy's. She was in the back of an ambulance. He took a step towards her, but the door shut and the ambulance drove away.

Sam turned to see Luke too watch the ambulance disappear into the distance. Sam completely forgot about Dean as he hurried over to the detective. "What the hell happened? What's wrong with Andy?"

"I don't know, Epstein said she was fine." Luke said, now distracting himself with random papers in front of him.

Sam stared at the man, shocked by his nonchalant attitude. "She was just taken to the hospital..."

"So was the kid, and he didn't have a scratch on him. It's probably just precautionary."

Sam pursed his lips; imagining his fist colliding with the detective's face was only somewhat comforting. He shook his head and began to walk away. "I'm going to the hospital."

"Hey!" Luke called after him, annoyed. "We still need you here. We have a mess to clean up."

Sam stopped and looked around the active crime scene. "Looks like you've got plenty of help here, Callaghan. Someone will be able to help you dot the i's and cross the t's in your paperwork. I need to see Andy."

"You know, you're not the only one here who cares about Andy." Luke said, once again making the cop pause.

Sam turned around, looking hard at the detective. "True, but I don't think there's anyone else who is trying to fight for her. Until I know that I have done everything in my power to get her back, I'm not going to give up. I know you don't like me, but you have to know that my feelings for her are sincere. Andy deserves someone, maybe it's not me, but I owe it to her to try."

Luke seemed disgusted, but nodded eventually. "Fine… get out of here. I'll deal with the bastard."

Sam shot him a look of appreciation before he hurried off.

* * *

"Okay, I just need to take a look at—"

Andy pushed away the EMT's hands, looking at Traci. "What's happening to Dean?"

"Don't worry sweetie," Traci began to assure as she patted her leg. "He's being dealt with."

Andy swallowed, not liking her friend's choice of words. She felt the knot grow in her stomach. "Don't… don't let them do anything stupid, Traci. Don't hurt him."

Traci's brows knitted together in confusion as she cocked her head. "He kidnapped you, Andy… yeah, he's probably going to get a little roughed up—why do you care?"

"He's not a bad guy." Andy insisted, swatting away the EMT's hands once again. It was hard to breathe, but she had to continue. "He messed up, but… he deserves to be treated the same as any other person. He didn't hurt me."

Traci paused a moment, before speaking. "He may not have physically hurt you or that little boy, though the gash on your forehead tells a different story, but he most definitely did hurt the people who care about you, and that boy. Gavin's parents went through hell, I went through hell, your friends went through hell… Sam went through hell. Even if he didn't hurt you, he's not going to get off easy."

Andy laid her head back against the gurney, too exhausted to continue arguing. She understood where Traci was coming from, where her cop friends were coming from, but she felt guilty. She felt responsible for their actions—they did not know Dean like she did. She was the only one who could really help him.

* * *

Sam hurriedly scrambled into his car, not having enough time to shove the keys into the ignition before his passenger side door swung open and Oliver slid in.

"What the hell are you doing, Oli?" Sam asked, frustrated as he started the engine, but not bothering to put the car in drive.

"Funny, I was about to ask you the same thing." Oliver said, putting on his seat belt.

"I'm going to see Andy."

Oliver nodded, obviously knowing that already. "Then what?" He questioned, Sam looked confused. "Say something predictable like you love her and then everything will be okay and go back to normal? She had a terrifying experience and so suddenly those three words will make her forget what you did to her? Sammy, you practically told her you blamed her for Jerry's death—that's not something 'I love you' can fix, whether you meant it or not. Stuff like that only happens in the movies."

Sam was quiet for a while, thinking it over. "So, what are you saying? I shouldn't say anything to her?"

"Not at all. I just thought you should have a realistic look on things." Oliver gave him a small, sad smile. "I don't want to see you hurt more than you already are, buddy."

Sam tried to swallow the lump in his throat as he drove off.

* * *

"Okay, looks like it's just a mild concussion." The man in the white lab coat said, turning off his flashlight as he took a step back. "But you did manage to bruise several ribs."

"That explains why it's so difficult to breathe." Andy rasped, her arms wrapped around her ribcage protectively.

Her doctor frowned. "I'll give you something for the pain—that should help you breathe a little easier." He said, walking over to a cabinet. "Now, I've dealt with several injured cops in my lifetime, let me give you a piece of advice—take it easy, seriously. Pushing yourself hard will only delay your recovery. It will take about… three to four weeks for you to heal completely. Just make sure you get plenty of rest and take ibuprofen or aspirin as needed." He handed her a pill. "Here's some ibuprofen."

Andy swallowed the pill dry, not waiting for the cup of water he handed her a moment later.

"That untreated gash you got there looks pretty bad too. We'll get that cleaned up and put some medicine on it—it will help with the scarring."

"Thank you." She said. "Can I go home after this?"

The doctor shrugged. "I don't see why not, just take it easy." He headed towards the door. "I'll send a nurse in to clean up your head wound."

"Thank you." She said again, turning to Traci once he had left. "See? I'm fine."

Traci shook her head slightly, not seeming to be convinced. "Andy, you were kidnapped, held as a hostage… I don't think everything is just going to go back to the way it was. Look at Gail, she—"

"What happened to me was nothing like Gail. Not even close." Her words were harsher than she meant them to be.

"Yeah, I know. You were responsible for keeping a little boy safe too. It wasn't just you."

"It wasn't like that!" Andy insisted. "The guy who took me wasn't some crazy, twisted pervert! He messed up and panicked, I know, but… he was real. He's a good guy, he just made some bad choices."

Traci looks at her questionably.

"I know how I sound." Andy sighed, annoyed that her friend wasn't able to 'get it'. "If I was hearing this from a someone, I would think they had been brainwashed or something—but it's not like that. I just got to know the guy."

"The guy kept you as a hostage, he held you at gunpoint!"

"The gun wasn't even loaded!" Andy defended and immediately regretted it as pain surged within her chest. She forced herself calm. "He was giving himself up when you guys decided to go all guns and blaze."

Traci looked at her, worried. Andy knew that no one could ever understand—it was foolish to think they would. She sighed, leaning back against the wall and waited for the nurse to come in and bandage her up.

* * *

It took an hour to get to the nearest ER. Sam made a beeline for the information desk as soon as he entered, hardly noticing the room overflowing with people. He drummed his fingers anxiously as he waited for the only nurse in sight to pay him any attention.

"Miranda Brooks?" She called loudly, waiting for a woman to stand before gesturing her towards a waiting doctor.

"Excuse me," Sam began roughly. "Listen, my, uh, my partner was just brought here a little bit ago—I need to see her."

The nurse looked at him, exasperated. "I understand that, sir, but there was just a bus crash—we're expecting twenty-some-odd persons to be rushed through those doors at any minute. We're just a _tad _bit busy right now, so if you don't have an emergency, you're just going to have to wait." She gave him an apologetic smile before turning towards the crowd of people. "Samantha Peters?"

"Please," Sam continued, practically leaning over the counter in attempt to make her listen. "I have to see her."

"I can have you thrown out if you like that idea better?"

Oliver took him by the shoulder and led him to a nearby chair. "We'll wait—thanks."

* * *

"Come on, I'm taking you home." Traci said, swinging her arm around Andy. "It's another hour's drive."

"No, no… the painkillers are doing their job. I want to go down to the station and give my statement… and see Dean."

* * *

"What was your friend's name?"

Oliver nudged him in his shoulder, getting his attention. Sam looked up to see the nurse looking at him. He hurried to his feet. "Uh, Andy McNally. She may have gone by Andrea McNally."

The women nodded as she typed her name into the computer, and then frowned.

"What's wrong?" Sam asked, worried, thinking the worst.

"It looks like she was released… ten minutes ago."

Relief and confusion hit him. He thanked the nurse and hurried out of the ER, pulling his cell phone out of his pocket. "Who was with her?"

Oliver shrugged. "I don't know… I think Nash?"

Sam quickly dialed Traci's number—she picked up almost immediately. He did not give her time to say anything. "You with Andy?"

"_Yes, we're headed back home right now. We're going to swing by the station first though_."

"Why the hell are you doing that?" He could overhear Traci, who ignored his question, telling Andy who was on the phone. "Can I talk to her?"

There was a pause on the line. "_That's… uh, it's not really a good time. I'll talk to you later, Swarek_."

* * *

"Did you confirm that they're taking him back to fifteen?" Andy asked five minutes into the drive home.

Traci nodded. "Yes. He should be there by the time we arrive."

"Thanks."

A cell phone interrupted Andy's thoughts. She watched as Traci distractedly answered her phone. "Yes, we're headed back home right now. We're going to swing by the station first though."

"Who is it?" Andy whispered.

Traci gave her a small smile. "It's Swarek." She said. "He wants to talk to you."

Andy shook her head, not in the mood.

"That's… uh, it's not really a good time. I'll talk to you later, Swarek." With that, Traci hung up the phone, staring at Andy curiously. "What's that about?"

Andy turned away from her, staring out the window. "Nothing."

Even though her back was turned to her friend, she could feel Traci's eyes on her. "Uh-huh. Andy, are you sure you're okay?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine." She knew she would have to keep saying that until it was true.

* * *

Okay, so maybe not the best chapter ever, but I did not have a chance to go back and edit... I will try my hardest to update soon! Please leave a review and let me know what you thought.


	11. Chapter 11

Thank you everyone for your kind words! I love hearing from you. Anyway, on with the chapter! Enjoy!

* * *

_**Previously on Stumbled… **_

_"Come on, I'm taking you home." Traci said, swinging her arm around Andy. "It's another hour's drive."_

_"No, no… the painkillers are doing their job. I want to go down to the station and give my statement… and see Dean."_

* * *

The constant hum of the car's engine slowly died down and her body tugged against the restraints as the vehicle slowed to a halt, waking her from her sleep. Andy opened her eyes, taking in her surroundings. She was back at the 15th division. A sort of comfort bubbled within her. She pried her face away from the cool window and sat up, unbuckling herself.

It was dark now—chilly too. She wrapped her arms around herself once she fumbled out of the car. She glanced towards Traci, who seemed to be stifling a yawn, before she headed towards the entrance to the police department.

Her feet shuffled tiredly through the doors, threatening to give out under her weight. She did not realize how tired she was. Although she had slept most of the ride him, she felt utterly exhausted. She walked, as if on autopilot, straight to the holding cell where she knew Dean would be. She heard Traci's quick steps follow her, though she did not say a word—which Andy appreciated. She knew her friend was wary of her talking to Dean, and without her insistence of seeing him, Traci would no doubt have completely objected to the idea.

"Maybe we should take your statement first." Traci said, breaking the silence once they stood outside the holding cell.

Andy ignored her as she reached for the door, finding herself face-to-face with her former captor.

"Andy!" Dean exclaimed in surprise, sounding relieved and unsure. He quickly rose from the pathetic excuse of a bed and hurried to the bars—she met him there. She felt his eyes scan her carefully, eyeing her bandage above her eye. "You got that gash bandaged up… good. How does it feel? How are you?"

"Just a couple bruised ribs—I'm fine." She couldn't help but note how odd this picture must look to most people. Here she was having a conversation with the man who had kidnapped her and held her hostage, and that did not bother her in the least bit. In fact, it was easier to talk to him than it had been with Traci. She knew it was twisted, but yet… it didn't feel that way.

He gave her a small, genuine smile. "Good, good."

"How are you?" She asked as she now inspected him. Her eyes fell upon the large purple bruise on his right cheek, as well as the scratches on his wrists where the metal handcuffs had dug into his skin. The very sight of it sparked a source of bitterness within her. She was angry. He did not deserve that type of treatment.

He shrugged. "Fine." He followed her gaze towards his wrists. "Nothing I didn't expect… or deserve."

"I'm sorry." She apologized, feeling guilty and responsible.

"Don't be." He said. "It's fine. I expected worse actually."

Andy looked down, embarrassed that she was coworkers with people who beat up this man.

"So, um… do you know anything? About my daughter?"

Speaking of guilt, the knife that twisted in her gut right now was quite painful. She did not have the heart to tell him that the police had bluffed about him seeing his kid, and the promise she had made him was not within her realm of keeping. "I promised you that you would get to see your kid… I will do whatever it takes to keep that promise to you." And she meant it.

Dean nodded, looking on the verge of tears.

"I will make sure they know that the gun wasn't loaded and that you were giving yourself up. That will help your case."

"Thank you, Andy." Dean looked towards Traci. "You uh, you probably should go before that friend of yours decides to shoot me or something."

Andy looked over her shoulder; Traci's glare was quite piercing.

"Thank you for coming, Andy. I know it's probably really weird for you, all things considering." He looked nervous again. "Just know… I really appreciate all that you're doing, and I'm glad you're okay. Take care of yourself."

Andy nodded. "Yeah… you too. I'll see you later."

She spun on her heels and left, not bothering to even look at Traci as she walked past her.

"Hey…" Traci said, right behind her. Her hand caught Andy's arm. "Hey, what's wrong?"

Andy clenched her teeth, both from the pain of her ribs and her anger towards the cops who hurt Dean.

"Andy!" She turned, seeing Luke walking down the hall towards her. He looked surprised to see her. "What uh, what are you doing here?"

"She wanted to see Dean." Traci answered when Andy didn't.

Luke looked at her, concerned. Andy mentally rolled her eyes. "Okay, uh, well, since you're here… want to get your statement out of the way?"

"I think she needs to go home and r—"

"Yeah, that would be great." Andy said bluntly, cutting Traci off mid-word. She followed Luke's lead and left a shocked Traci behind…

* * *

"Nash!" Sam called towards the detective as he hurried down the hall. They had just arrived at the station two minutes ago and were looking for Andy. "Where's Andy? How is she?"

Traci held up her hands, silently telling him to calm down, though Oliver's nudging his arm may have been sufficient. "She's fine. A couple bruised ribs and a mild concussion—nothing to worry about. She's with Luke right now giving her statement. Come on."

Sam fought the urge to reprimand the woman for allowing Andy to come here instead of going home as Oliver and he followed the detective to the interview room. All his worries and anxiety seemed to dissolve as he saw her through the one-way glass window. She good good—tired, but good.

Traci turned on the speaker; they had missed the first part of her statement.

"After you got to the cabin… then what?" Luke asked.

Andy hesitated for a moment. "The door was locked… I broke a window and sent Gavin in to unlock the door from the inside. I cooked some food, and looked for any possible ways of getting out of the cabin. I did not find any that was safe for both the kid and me. Later that night, Dean got a text from his friend, saying that he saw his picture on the news and that the cops were looking for him."

"How did he react?" Luke asked.

She shrugged, as if it was obvious. "Like any panicked father would."

"He didn't hurt you or the kid?"

"No." She said defensively, her voice sharp and strong. "He never laid a finger on us."

Sam groaned internally. Did she really expect anyone to believe her, or had she simply forgotten about the man knocking her to her knees with the butt of his gun? Maybe she did not realize that incident had been recorded… was she purposely lying for the man who abducted her?

Luke nodded slowly, writing something down. "Continue..."

"We went to bed that night, nothing unusual. The next morning—"

"Did he tie you up?"

Andy swallowed, her hands twisting together—something, Sam noted, she often did when she was nervous. "Yes. The next morning I convinced him we needed food. We drove to a nearby market—I had given him all the cash I had and brought my driver's license with me. Dean was worried that it would be too suspicious if we all went in, so he was going to put the kid in the trunk. I volunteered instead. While they were inside, I tried to come up with a plan of how to leave my license behind. When he came back, he was really distracted and didn't notice me dropping it onto the ground."

Andy paused to take a drink of water before continuing. "He got me some painkillers and Gavin a candy bar."

"Why did you need painkillers?" Luke asked. Sam crossed his arms, wanting to know too. He suddenly had an urge to interrupt their interview with his own questions.

"Just for the aches… being tied up isn't exactly the most comfortable of positions. And my head hurt."

Luke nodded again, not saying anything.

"That night he told me about his daughter, about why he stole the car, how he freaked out when I pulled him over—he was going to drop Gavin off at the fire department or something. We had… kinda like a heart-to-heart—I was getting close to him… I could relate to him. He had a bad childhood… he asked me how I turned out so good and said that I'd…" She trailed off, looking unsure if she should continue.

Luke looked up from his writing, sounding as curious as Sam felt. "Said what?"

She shrugged nonchalantly. "He said I would be a good mom—that I would find the right guy… just stuff like that."

Sam glanced towards Traci and Oliver, raising his eyebrows.

"That night he didn't tie me up. I thought about trying to take Gavin and running once he fell asleep, but the door was very loud and squeaky—I knew that we couldn't get out of there without waking him up. The next morning he woke me up—he had heard something outside. From there on, you know most of the rest." She paused. "What you don't know is this… Dean's gun wasn't even loaded and he was in the process of giving himself when you guys burst through the door. You have to note that in my statement—he was giving himself up."

"You think she has Stockholm syndrome?" Traci asked cautiously, staring at her friend.

Sam looked at her in disbelief. "You don't?"

Traci shrugged. She looked worried—as she should. Andy wasn't the type of person to be easily manipulated. She knew the difference between right and wrong. Her damn lion's heart must have gotten the best of her—always finding the good in someone, even if they didn't deserve her faith.

"I..." Andy's small voice pulled Sam from his thoughts. He could tell by the way she started her sentence that he was not going to like what he was about to hear. "I also made a promise to Dean that he would get to see his kid before he went back to prison."

"What the hell is going on with her?" He heard Traci ask, more to herself than anyone else.

Sam sighed and hung his head. "That damn lion's heart."

* * *

And that's all for now, folks! Please let me know what you thought. :)


	12. Chapter 12

Thank you for your kind words! Sorry for the delay in getting this posted. Here it is! Enjoy.

* * *

_**Previously on 'Stumbled'…**_

_"I..." Andy's small voice pulled Sam from his thoughts. He could tell by the way she started her sentence that he was not going to like what he was about to hear. "I also made a promise to Dean that he would get to see his kid before he went back to prison."_

* * *

"You what?!"

Andy's body tensed at the loud outburst. She dropped her head, no longer able to look at the man across the table from her. He had stared at her as if she was crazy. She did not understand the problem. It wasn't like she had asked for him to release Dean—her request was not that unusual. Cops did favors for people all the time. His question still rang loud in her ears, reminding her that no one would understand the relationship she had with Dean.

"I promised him he would get to see his kid before he went back to prison." She repeated, swallowing nervously.

She glanced up, the detective looked dumbfounded, as if unsure what to do or say. He searched her face with his eyes, as if looking for an explanation, maybe thinking she was joking. He must have realized she wasn't, as his features changed, and he suddenly looked worried, and perhaps just a tad bit annoyed—maybe disappointed. He slowly closed his pad of notes and turned off the nearby recorder. He swept up his stuff before standing and headed towards the door. He paused for a brief second, just long enough to speak again. "You shouldn't have done that, Andy."

Andy let out a shaky breath once the door closed behind Luke. She knew he was right—she should never have made that promise. It was too late now—she wasn't about to break it. Still, his condescending remark hurt.

She felt unnerved, literally feeling someone watching her. She looked towards the mirror, knowing someone was on the other side of the glass. They were watching her every move and scrutinizing her every word. It was an eerie feeling, sitting in an interrogation room—this time as the victim. She hadn't really stopped to think about it before, but she was a victim. Both her and Gavin. But she didn't feel like one—was that good or bad?

Her thoughts were giving her a headache. She rose to her feet and shuffled her way out of the room. She nearly crashed into Traci and Sam, who stood in the hallway immediately outside the door. Her stomach dropped when realized that they must have heard her interview with Luke. She pushed past the small group, not looking at their faces because she didn't want to see what they weren't saying.

"Andy…" Sam's gruff yet gentle voice called caringly after her, tugging at the corners of her heart. She nearly turned to look at him, momentarily forgetting they had broken up a month and a half ago. She wanted him to wrap his arms around her and tell her that everything would be okay… but then slowly reality set in. Fresh, raw memories surfaced of him breaking up with her. He said he couldn't be with her. He drove away—he left her in standing in the rain, alone.

Bitterness overtook her emotions. He probably wanted to scold her for being so gullible, to tell her that she was stupid for placing her trust in the goodness of people in the wrong guy… again. On the other hand, maybe he would feel guilty. Maybe he would try to make things up with her. Either way she didn't want to hear it. Not from him, not from anyone.

"Andy, do you want to stay with me tonight?" Traci asked. "Or I could stay with you…"

"No." Andy turned back to their faces. "Thank you, but no. I'm going to walk home."

Sam took a step forward, his face masked in concern. "Andy, your head… your ribs…"

"I'll be fine." She insisted tersely. "If it gets too much, I'll call a cab."

She could tell they were both about to object, but luckily Oliver had great timing. He seemed to appear out of nowhere, waving her over.

"Hey, Andy! Best wants to see you."

Andy started for his office, wondering why the Staff Sergeant would want to talk to her. As she neared the glass room, she saw Luke exit the office. Her stomach dropped. She knew this could not be good. Luke didn't even acknowledge her as he walked past her. As she entered, she did her best to stand tall and give the appearance of strength, but she could only muster up enough energy to keep that pose for a minute before her shoulders slouched.

"McNally." He greeted, gesturing towards a nearby chair. He looked uncomfortable. "Please, take a seat."

She did so silently.

"So, this has certainly been a crazy seventy-two hours, hasn't it? I'm glad to see you're alright. How're you holding up?"

"Fine. Just tired."

Best nodded understandingly. "I'm sure. That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about. I want you to take a couple weeks off… to rest and heal up. I know time off due to an injury is never very enjoyable, but I insist. You can come back when you're feeling better and do deskwork until your doctor clears you for the field."

"Thank you." Was all she said, not bothering to fight his decision. "Is that all, sir?"

"Yes, that is all." He nodded again. "You did good, McNally."

She smiled and stood to leave.

"Oh… one more thing." His words stopped her steps. "You'll need to make an appointment with the department's psychologist. She needs to clear you before you can get back your gun and badge."

Her insides twisted and she wondered if someone had said something to him about the promise she made Dean. That wasn't enough to talk to a shrink though, was it? "I don't understand… I didn't kill someone or anything. Honestly, sir, I'm—"

"Fine, I know." He finished for her. "I'm sure you are, but I'm going to let someone else be the judge of that."

The bitter taste returned to her mouth. She left the room, letting the door slam shut behind her. She was pissed and she really didn't care who knew it. She saw Luke standing with the rest of the gang, which now included Gail, Dov, and Chris. She marched over to the detective. "Was this your idea?! I make a promise to someone and suddenly you feel the need to tattle on me to Best? Really?"

"I-I…" The detective began to stammer, surprised by her reaction. Oliver pulled Luke away from her reach, stepping between them.

"I talked to Frank."

She groaned internally, knowing it would be impossible to stay mad at Oliver—he was the sweetest guy ever. She glanced around the rest of the crowd, who all seemed unusually quiet.

"I'm going home." She said before heading out of the station, relieved no one tried to stop her.

* * *

Sam went to follow her, but someone caught his arm before he could. He turned to Oliver, who looked sympathetic.

"Give her a chance to cool off, Sam." He said gently but firm. "She's probably not ready to hear what you want to say."

Sam hesitated before nodding, already calculating how long it would take the rookie cop to walk home, accounting extra time for her injuries.

* * *

He bottom had grown numb long before he saw Andy approach the steps of her apartment. He quickly stood and held his hands up in surrender, knowing she was probably still on edge. He gave her a smile when they made eye contact; she sighed and slowed her step. He glanced at her bare arms and quickly removed his jacket, holding it out to her. She walked past him, ignoring his offer and moving to retrieve her spare key taped under a mailbox. She groaned slight at the movement, Sam resisted the urge to ask if she was okay.

Andy let herself into the apartment, leaving the door open behind her. He took that as an invitation and followed her in, slightly surprised. He glanced around the apartment, seeing it for the first time. He didn't have time to get a good look as he followed her into the kitchen.

He set his jacket on top of the counter as he took a seat on the barstool, watching in silence as Andy fumbled around, pouring herself a bowl of Coco Pebbles—a favorite of hers. She pushed an empty bowl and spoon towards him, before eating her own. He poured himself a small bowl, realizing that this would be the first time he had eaten in quite a while.

The crunching of cereal was the only noise to be heard. They ate in near silence—the awkwardness level quickly rising.

"What are you doing here?" Andy eventually asked, her voice void of any identifiable emotion and her mouth full of food.

"I uh… I needed to see you." He said lamely, slurping down the rest of his chocolate milk.

Andy took another bite. "Okay, you've seen me… now what?"

Sam sighed, wishing he had thought about how to start this conversation. "I uh… I was really worried about you." He began. "I… I know I screwed up majorly, and I was worried that there wasn't going to be a chance to fix it. Andy… I wish I was better at communicating. I wish that I knew how to say things to you. I—"

"Stop." Her word came out just above a quiver. "Please, stop. I can't do this. I can't go through this. I refuse to be that girl."

Her words stung, but he continued. "Just—just let me say this. I—"

"No." She practically yelled. For the first time that night he noticed tears in her eyes. "You lost your chance, Sam. I gave you time. I tried for weeks to talk to you and you ignored me. I moved on… it's too late. I'm not doing this."

His heart felt like it was about to explode. He could literally feel Andy pulling away from him—taking a piece of his heart with him. He had refused to believe that he had lost her for good—he still refused. "Andy, please. Give me a chance. Let me—"

"You had your chance." She said, her voice breaking as she spoke. He felt like he was back in rainy parking lot, breaking her heart all over again. "No, I gave you several chances. You had six weeks of chances. You blew them all."

"Andy—"

"No." Her voice was firm once again as she shook her head. "No. I want you to go."

He couldn't physically move. He was sure this was his only chance to get everything out—to make her understand. "I'm sorry, Andy. I'm sorry that I hurt you. I—"

"Sam. I will call the cops." She sounded angrier than he could ever remember. "I can't deal with this now. Please respect that."

Sam swallowed, nodding slowly. "Okay." He stood, grabbing his jacket. "If you need anything… I'm here."

Andy didn't respond, she simply looked away.

He left her apartment in silence, knowing in that moment that he would have to prove to her that he loved her – every day until she believed him. He knew the first thing he would have to do is convince her that he trusted her instincts—that he respected her as a cop. When they had broken up, he may have led her to believe otherwise. He knew what he had to do. He needed to help Andy keep her promise. He would have to find Dean's kid and let the bastard see her.

* * *

That's all for now. I promise there will be a good conversation between Sam and Andy soon…ish. Please leave a review and let me know what you thought.


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: Thank you all for your kind words! Quick note, a few of you asked about my nephew (thank you, btw) so I thought I'd let you know how he's doing. He had his 7th surgery last month and will probably have one more before the end of the year. On a side note, he was on TV on Halloween (long story, but a super cute one) and just turned 4 on the 5th. :)

* * *

Sam absent-mindedly rubbed his heavy eyes with the palm of his hand, trying to push the sleepiness away. His body and mind were completely exhausted. The normal thing—the smart thing—to do would be to go home and catch up on some sleep. He had not had a decent night's sleep in nearly three days… but he did not have time for sleep now. He had to see Dean. He needed to have a face-to-face conversation with the bastard.

He parked outside the quiet police department and cut the engine before climbing out of his truck. He glanced towards a few cops he hardly ever shared a shift with, giving them a friendly wave but not stopping to talk. When he found his way to the holding cell, he asked the on duty officer to take a short break, to which the older man readily obliged.

Sam was alone with the man who had kidnapped Andy. He walked slowly over to the barred cell, standing just inches away. He watched the man sleep, huddled up on the bed that seemed too small for his frame. He felt sick just looking at him, and wondered what good quality Andy managed to see in the guy.

"Hey!" He shouted loudly—louder than he had intended. The sleeping man slowly stirred, his head poking out from under the blanket, looking at Sam. He groaned audibly, and sluggishly untangled himself from the fabric and stumbled over to the cell wall. Neither said anything as Sam's eyes inspected the man, who stood at almost his height, just a few inches shorter. His appearance was young, but his eyes looked old—worn out. The large, purple and blue bruise sitting on his cheek caught Sam's eye. He had no doubt he was responsible for the injury—it probably happened when he pushed Dean's sorry ass onto the ground back at the cabin.

"You abducted the wrong girl." Sam started, his gruff voice slicing through the tight air. "She is very special to everyone here. And because of that, I don't like you… but for some crazy reason, she sees something in you."

Dean swallowed and looked down.

"I trust Andy's instincts. So, I am going to help her keep that promise she made to you." He paused, wanting to see Dean's reaction, but the young man didn't so much as flinch. "I'm not doing this for you. As far as I'm concerned, you can rot in prison. I'm doing this for Andy. If you have something to say that will help me understand, I would like to hear it."

Dean nodded, silent for a moment. "I uh, I don't know if I can do that… give you the answers you want to hear that is. Andy… she has a good heart, you know? She has faith in people. She… she somehow pulls the good out of people. It's like, when you're around her… you want to be better. But that's just Andy. Not everyone can understand."

"Try me." Sam said, irritated that he had described his ex-girlfriend so precisely accurate.

"Andy understood my position, she sympathized with me. I was just a man trying to see his kid." Dean sighed. He looked like he was struggling to find the right words. "Maybe it's because her own mom abandoned her, and there I was, doing stupid stuff just to see my own daughter. I'm not saying I deserve it, but I won't lie and say I'm not grateful that she was able to look past everything and see what was important. See my heart."

Sam was quiet as his mind tossed around the man's words. He wondered about the days Andy had spent with him. He tried to imagine the conversations they might have shared.

"I understand why you hate me," Dean began, gripping the metal bars with his fingers and resting his forehead in the space between. "I probably would too if I were in your shoes. Forgive me for asking, but you love her, don't you?"

His words caught Sam off guard—he hadn't expected them. His mouth opened to object, not wanting the little sicko to think he was right, but nothing came out.

Dean nodded understandingly. "Good. Andy deserves someone who loves her… especially someone who loves her enough to ignore his own thoughts and help her out."

Sam wanted to punch the guy. He was annoyed that Dean had not said anything he could use against him. Sam left the room without another word, too exhausted and irritated to continue the conversation.

* * *

Andy peeled her face away from her pillow; the bright morning sunlight that seeped through her lace curtains nearly blinded her. She groaned half-heartedly, knowing she had slept too late and knowing also she had not slept enough.

She had spent most of the night tossing and turning, her mind too busy to power down for long. She had thought about Gavin and Dean, but mostly she replayed her last conversation with Sam. That damn conversation—that is what had fought her precious sleep away. She couldn't digest how she felt about it. Bitter… angry… relieved… hopeful. It was like someone had thrown all those emotions into a blender and mixed them up—she no longer could distinguish between them. All she was left with was the feeling of uncertainty.

Sitting up, she let out as sigh as she swung her legs over the edge of the bed. She reached for her much needed pain medication and downed a few pills. Goosebumps spread over her legs and arms as the soles of her feet touched the chilly floor. She hurried into the bathroom and turned on the shower—letting the water run as hot as it would go. Stripping off her clothes, she hopped inside the steamy shower, the temperature nearly scalding her skin, but not quite hot enough. She turned it down a notch before generously applying soap onto her body, washing away several days' worth of dirt and grime.

She stayed in the shower until the water grew cool and her stomach grumbled. She stepped out, slipping a towel around her wet body. Throwing her hair into a messy bun, she shuffled her way into the kitchen, starved. She nearly made it to the fridge before she caught something out of the corner of her eye. She turned to the small island in the middle of the room, which last night was cluttered in dishes and now sported a brown bag and a cup of coffee—the dirty dishes were nowhere to be seen.

Frowning, she abandoned her quest for the fridge and instead reached for the coffee, which had long-gone cold. She pried the sticky note that was attached to the top, noting Traci's handwriting.

_Used your spare key, hope you don't mind. Got a new cell for you—it's charging by the toaster. Call if you need anything._

Andy smiled, instantly forgiving Traci for being so unreasonable the night before. She reached into the bag and pulled out two powder sugared donuts and scarfed them down before shoving the coffee cup into the microwave and heating it up. The normalcy of having donuts and coffee was a friendly reminder that she was home.

A loud ring nearly made her spill her newly heated coffee all over herself. She grumpily sat it down on the counter as she reached for her new phone. She checked the caller ID, noting it was Nick calling. She ignored his call, and scrolled through the list of everyone else's attempts to contact her this morning—err—afternoon. It was past noon now. There were nine new texts waiting in her inbox. She quickly scrolled through them, finding their messages predictable yet touching. She noted there was nothing from Sam.

She pushed the phone away and reached again for her coffee, chugging the warm liquid. Her meds were finally kicking her. Her ribs seemed to stop protesting to her movements as the pain grew dull.

She shuffled her way back into her bedroom and threw on a pair of sweats. She didn't bother doing her hair or makeup—no one would expect her to do it anyway.

* * *

"Andy! What are you doing here?"

Chris Diaz's voice was the first to greet her as she entered the fifteenth division. She smiled warmly at the man. "Hey Chris."

"We missed you." Chris said, grinning from ear-to-ear as he reached to give her a hug. "I'm glad you're okay."

"Thanks."

"Are you?" Gail Peck asked, walking over to the two of them, crossing her arms and looking pointedly at Andy. "Are you okay?"

Andy nodded assuredly. "Yeah, yeah… I'm great. Totally fine." She was a horrible liar.

"Andy!" Dov joined the small group and pulled her in for a tight hug, squeezing her sensitive rips, causing her to wince. The small cop quickly released her, looking worried. "Sorry… forgot."

She forced a smile, her chest still screaming in protest at the action. "I'm fine."

"What are you doing here?"

Gail's question and tone of voice annoyed her—it sounded like she was being interrogated. Andy kept the smile on her face. "Oh, you know… just finishing up some stuff."

"Cool." Chris said, not seeming bothered. "Hey, after you're done, wanna grab some lunch?"

Before she could answer, Gail spoke again, her eyes narrowed. "What kind of stuff?"

The two guys and Andy turned to the blonde, who did not seem to notice the attention.

"Just… stuff." Andy stammered lamely. "Making sure my statement is correct, check on a few things… see Dean."

"You're seeing Dean?" Dov asked, looking confused.

"Do you think that's a good idea?" Chris asked.

Gail simply looked concerned.

"Don't worry about me," Andy said, already walking away from them. "I'm fine."

"Good." Gail called after her. "Because they transferred Dean to his arraignment early this morning."

"What?" If Andy could see herself, she would note how all the color drained from her face. She had missed his arraignment. "What ah.. h-how'd it go?"

Gail shrugged as if she didn't care. "He pleaded guilty. The prosecution is working on a plea bargain."

"He what?" Andy's sharp voice surprised her friends. "He pleaded guilty? Why would he do that? The gun wasn't loaded, he never hurt us… he was just trying to see his daughter."

"That sicko did you a favor, Andy." Gail's words were just as sharp. "He kidnapped you and a scared little boy who will most likely be traumatized by this, as will his parents. The only good thing Dean ever did for you was to plead guilty."

Andy shook her head, kicking herself for not having talked to Dean about his predicament or find him a damn good lawyer. Maybe she could convince the judge that Dean was sleep deprived or something and allow him to reinstate his plea.

"What's wrong, Andy?" Chris asked, so utterly clueless. "Are you ribs bothering you?"

She shook her head again, distracted by her own thoughts. "No, no… I just… I have to go."

"I thought you had stuff to do…" Dov began.

"I'll see you later." She said, already heading out of the station.

* * *

Okay, so, believe it or not, I did do research for this chapter. However, I could not find a lot of Canadian procedures when dealing with this sort of case, so I am going off of US law and hoping they are similar. I am sorry if I messed up majorly. Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Please let me know what you thought.


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: I apologize for the delay in updates. If someone offers to do my homework for Kinesiology, I will totally take you up on that and update sooner. ;)

* * *

_**Previously on Stumbled… **_

_"I trust Andy's instincts. So, I am going to help her keep that promise she made to you." Sam paused, wanting to see Dean's reaction, but the young man didn't so much as flinch. "I'm not doing this for you. As far as I'm concerned, you can rot in prison. I'm doing this for Andy."_

_OoOoOo_

_"They transferred Dean to his arraignment early this morning – he pleaded guilty. The prosecution is working on a plea bargain."_

_OoOoOo_

_Andy shook her head, kicking herself for not having talked to Dean about his predicament or find him a damn good lawyer. Maybe she could convince the judge that Dean was sleep deprived or something and allow him to reinstate his plea. "I have to go."_

* * *

The cold instantly hit her as she hurried out of the police department, slipping past her layers of clothing and settling within her. She pulled her jacket closed tighter and hurried through the parking lot, her feet scrambling in order to keep up with her pace.

"Andy!"

She ignored the voice—Sam's voice—as she walked faster. She heard his heavy boot's footsteps behind her, hurrying to catch up. She was not in the mood to have another conversation with that man.

"Andy, wait!" Sam said, running in front of her and holding out his hands, trying to stop her. She did so with a sigh, looking down at her shoes, not wanting to look at his face. "What's wrong? What are you doing here?"

She sighed, still on edge about Dean's arraignment. "I came to see Dean. Apparently he was arraigned already."

"I know." Sam said, slightly out of breath. "I was there this morning."

Her eyes met his, he looked at her with such concern—such affection. She had to remind herself that he probably made things worse for Dean. Panic spread throughout her in an instant. "You were?"

"Yes." He said, sounding exhausted.

"You should have told me." Andy said bitterly, taking a step back from the man, prepared to walk away. "You let him plead guilty… he probably won't have a chance to see his daughter now. Did he even have a lawyer? You should have told me."

Sam looked hurt, but nodded understandingly. "He will see his daughter."

Andy was taken back. "Wait… what? How?"

"He pleaded guilty so he could see his daughter." Sam said simply. "I talked to the prosecution— we worked it out. If he pleaded guilty, we would talk to social services about bringing his daughter here for a visitation. They are finalizing the rest of the terms right now… I just got back from social services—they are trying to locate his kid right now."

She stared at the man before her, surprised and ecstatic about his actions. "Wh-hy—" Her voice was hardly audible, so she quickly cleared her throat and tried again. "Why would you do that for him?"

"I didn't do it for Dean." Sam said with a slight shrug, looking bashful. "I did it for you."

Her heart pounded harder than she ever remembered.

"I know this was important to you…" he started again, closing the gap between them. "And if it was important to you, then it is important to me. I may not understand why you're defending this guy… but if it were the other way around, I would want to know that someone had my back."

"Thank you." The words slipped through her lips before she realized she was saying them. It was like she had momentarily forgotten that she was supposed to be annoyed with him. "I know that probably wasn't easy for you… but I really appreciate it."

Sam smiled. "No problem."

They stood there awkward, neither seeming to know what to say.

"Okay… I'm going to—"

"I could actually use your help." Sam said, stopping her before she could leave. "I know you're supposed to be taking time off, but convincing child protective services to let a convicted criminal see a kid who has yet to prove he the biological father is not quite as easy as it might seem."

Andy debated internally. The idea of working with Sam sounded painful and awkward.

"I guess that's probably not the best idea…" Sam seemed to notice her hesitation and quickly took back his offer. "I don't want you to get chewed out by Best… and if you're working the case, I don't want any complications to arise. Don't worry, I've got it covered."

"Are you sure?" Andy asked.

Sam nodded confidently. "Yep. I've got a couple strings I can pull… don't worry. I'll let you know as soon as I get everything worked out."

"Thank you, Sam."

He smiled. "You going to go see Dean?"

She nodded. "Yeah, um, I think so…"

"Okay." He said, sounding bothered but trying to hide it. "I guess I'll see you later then."

"Yeah… see ya." She said, already walking past him, only looking back when she thought knew he would be out of sight. Sam had looked exhausted—he must have spent most of his night calling in favors. Whatever plan he was working on to 'win her back' was working—at least a little. She couldn't hold a grudge against the man who was helping Dean and his kid.

* * *

"Hey, Swarek… can I have a word with you?"

Sam looked up from his desk, his phone still glued to his ear. The annoying hold music played through his mind as Luke Callaghan approached him, looking rather disgruntled. "I'm on the phone… can you wait a minute?"

"No, now."

Luke must have been in a pretty sour mood, as he forcefully took the phone from Sam's hand and hung it up on the receiver with a loud click. Sam groaned internally, the idea of waiting a couple more hours—on hold no less—was torturous. Despite that, Sam plastered on a face smile and clasped his hands together, deciding to approach this conversation with as much sarcasm as he could muster up. "What can I help you with, detective?"

Luke pursed his lips together, looking on the verge of exploding. "I need you to tell me why the hell you got Dean's arraignment bumped up—and why did you help him make a deal with the prosecution? I thought you wanted to nail this guy's ass as badly as I did. Did you forget what this sicko did?"

"No. I didn't forget." Sam said as he shook his head, knowing that he never would be able to.

The detective hands formed fists—he must have been using a lot of restraint to not punch something. "Then why the hell did you do it? I was going to stand before the judge and tell him to fry Dean's ass, and you go and give him everything he wants. What were you thinking? Did you catch Andy's case of Stockholm syndrome or is love not just blind, but stupid too?"

Sam forced another smile, though he wanted to punch the guy as badly as Luke did. "Maybe… or maybe I've just learned to trust Andy's instincts on people."

Luke scuffed. "Yeah, right… have you forgotten where some of Andy's instincts have led? How she got herself, and others, into trouble?"

His words stung—he knew Luke was referring to Jerry. He chose to let the comment slide and keep up with his sarcasm. "You know, you make a good point, Callaghan… she did agree to marry you."

Luke looked away, the comment obviously hitting a tender spot. "You were out of line, Swarek. I can't believe you're using the little pull you have to help the bastard that kidnapped, beat, and could have killed Andy." He shook his head as he walked away, attitude echoing with each step he took.

Sam let out a sigh and let his body sink against the back of the chair, hoping it was worth it.

* * *

_Ding-dong._

Andy's attention was pulled away from the television set. She had spent the last few hours watching reruns of Andy Griffith and the news channel. She groaned as she pushed herself up from the couch and sluggishly made her way to the door. Traci stood in the doorway, a big smile on her face and a grease-stained bag in hand.

"I brought burgers." She said warmly. "I figured you probably haven't had lunch yet."

Andy stepped aside to let her in, shutting the door behind her. The aroma of the food made her instantly hungry.

"I heard you stopped by the station earlier…"

"Yeah… I did." She shuffled her way back to her couch, disappointed it had already lost her body heat from earlier. Traci followed, placing the greasy bag on the nearby coffee table before settling into the cushions.

"How are you holding up?"

Andy shrugged as she reached for a pillow, picking at a piece of string that had come loose. "Fine."

Traci scooted closer, her eyes nearly drilling holes into Andy's head. "Really?"

She nodded. "Yeah, really. My ribs feel a lot better today, and my headache finally went away… I'm good."

"That's good… not exactly what I meant though."

"I know." Andy said with a sigh. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Okay, so we won't." Traci said with an understanding smile, leaving it at that.

Andy eyed the bagged food, her stomach growling. "So, are we going to wait for the food to get cold before we eat or…?"

Traci laughed, reaching for the bag and pulling out a couple burgers. She passed one to Andy who opened the wrapper greedily, practically shoving the food down her mouth. They ate in silence until news reports fluttered across the screen, one in particular. A skinny blonde reporter stood outside the fifteenth division, giving her audience an update on the Dean Andrews case—the man who had kidnapped a child and police officer. "They chose a bad picture of me to plaster all over the news."

Her friend chuckled, nodding in agreement.

"They chose a bad picture of Dean too… his mug-shot makes him look… look like a really bad guy." She turned to look at Traci, who seemed to want to say something Andy didn't want to hear, so Andy quickly continued. "That picture of Gavin is adorable though… he has the best smile, doesn't he? He's the only kid who likes me…"

"What are you talking about?" Traci asked. "Leo loves you."

Andy smiled half-heartedly. "That's because I buy him ice cream and sneak him sour patch kids when you're not looking. I didn't have to bribe Gavin… though I guess considering the situation, he didn't have a lot of options." She paused. "He really is such a cutie—and brave. I know he's only three, but he was so smart too."

"Seems like you're quite infatuated with this boy."

She thought back to the morning when she had told him the story about the little pigs. His laugh played in her ear, making her smile. "He has the best little laugh too… I was really hoping to see him again."

Traci smiled. "Maybe you will."

"I know it's weird and maybe even crazy all things considered, but… I… I realized I'm going to want kids someday."

Traci looked surprised, but happy. "Yeah?

Andy nodded, as if realizing it for the first time herself. "Yeah… I see Gavin and I don't want to miss out on that experience—raising a little human being. Seeing Dean try so hard to see his daughter—it made me think how much I would do for a kid of my own… that's crazy, isn't it? I mean, I spent a couple days with a kid and now I want to be a mom? Maybe I am crazy…"

Traci shook her head and reached for Andy's hands. "Wanting to be a mom doesn't make you crazy sweetie, no matter how you went about discovering that fact. I think it's awesome."

Andy smiled, thinking it was too. The last couple days had been rough, but quite the eye-opener. Who would have thought it would have thought it would take being kidnapped to discover important life decisions?

* * *

That's it for now. Please let me know what you thought.


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: I know it's been a while since I've updated – I am sorry for that. There's been a lot of tragedy going on, not just with my family and people I know, but around the country—the world. Real life has a way of making things hard and difficult, which is maybe why I write about a fictional world, where everything can turn out good and there is such a thing as 'happily ever after.' I pray you are all well, and that your families are too.

* * *

**Two weeks later… **

Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick.

The noisy clock's hand clicked obnoxiously, echoing loudly through her ears and bouncing off the walls of her brain. She wrung her hands together tightly, her eyes focused on the muddy boots she had forgotten to scrape off before stepping on the white carpet. _Oops_.

She felt a pair of eyes on her, seeming to look into her very soul—judging her, monitoring her every movement, expression, and word. The air was tight—uncomfortable. With every tick of the clock, she felt her blood pressure rise. The rustling of papers and a pen making contact with paper caught her attention. She did not bother to look up—just listened as something was scribbled down. She wondered what. The pen clicked closed and set aside, no longer needed.

"So, Andy, how are you doing?" The overly feminine voice sounded detached with forced emotion.

Andy sat up straight, the leather couch resisting the movement with a loud screech. She looked up at the woman sitting across from her. She was pretty, in the annoying supermodel sort of way. Her blond hair was pulled back in a perfect bun—not a single hair appeared out of place. The black-rimmed glasses that sat on her small nose enhanced her bright blue eyes with its contrast. She literally looked like she had a team of photoshoppers that tweaked her to perfection.

Her office was perfect too, making Andy wonder if the woman suffered from a small case of obsessive-compulsive disorder. The white walls were void of any personal touches, unless you counted the credentials and achievements that hung proudly above her large oak desk that looked like a picture out of an Ikea magazine. No pictures, not clutter, no overflowing trashcan, just… perfection.

"Andy?"

The police officer turned back to the woman, having already forgotten the question. "Sorry… what?"

The psychologist forced a smile, revealing two rows of perfectly straight and white teeth. Even her name was perfect—Alexandra Grayson. "Do you have something you would like to talk about? Something on your mind?"

"Nope." She said, forcing herself to act casual as she shook her head.

The psychologist nodded, not seeming surprised by her answer. "Of course."

"Well, this has been good…" Andy said after a moment of silence, leaning forward and pushing a piece of paper across the coffee table that sat between them. "So, if you could just sign this, approving me for active duty, we could both get out of here and get some real work done. You know, like saving lives."

Miss Grayson hesitantly reached for the paper, scanning its contents. "Ahh, yes… I do have a copy of my own, thank you. I think I will save my signature for after I have observed for myself that you are ready to resume your duties and have your gun returned."

Andy sighed as she sank back into the couch, glancing towards the clock which seemed to laugh at her for only having been there for ten minutes. She couldn't imagine having to endure another fifty minutes. _Torture!_

"You know, it's almost comical how life works." The psychologist said, as if the silence hadn't bothered her. "It always seems to be the people who need the most help are the ones who don't ask for it—the ones who pretend everything is fine and dandy."

Somehow the word 'dandy' did not seem like one that should have been in this woman's eloquent vocabulary. "Or maybe you think that way because you don't know what's going on in their heads and it bothers you."

"Hmm." The psychologist nodded slowly, seeming to think it over as she gently set Andy's paper aside. "So, what is going on in your head?"

Andy stayed quiet, letting out another annoyed sigh.

"Do you want to hear what I think?" Alexandra did not wait for a response. "I think you are struggling to figure it all out. I talked to some of your friends, they seem to think you have Stockholm Syndrome, and after listening to your interview with detective Callaghan and reports from your fellow officers, I am inclined to agree. Any thoughts about that?"

The very words 'Stockholm Syndrome' made her body tense.

"Has someone said that to you?" The psychologist asked, leaning forward with interest. "You seem uncomfortable with that term."

"My mom." Andy surprised herself by answering. _On numerous occasions and by numerous people_. She added silently.

"Right, your mother." Alexandra shuffled through the papers in her lap. "You recently went on a vacation with her, did you not?"

Andy nodded. "Yeah… she was worried about me, so she took me to a spa for a weekend."

"You seem bitter about that—is it because your mother's abandonment as a child left you feeling uncared for, and now that she's back in your life, she's finally showing you the affection you thought she should have been all along?"

Andy would have laughed if the question hadn't hit a sore spot – the question was so predictable. Mommy-issue questions were something she generally avoided. "Let's not talk about my mother. She doesn't have anything to do with the reason I'm here."

"Certainly." Else obliged. "What do you want to talk about?"

The police officer nearly laughed again. She thought she had made it more than obvious that she didn't want to talk about anything. "Whatever we need to talk about to get you to sign that paper."

"Let's talk about Dean." The psychologist seemed pleased. "You were there during the reunion with his daughter, correct?"

Andy sank further into her seat, thinking back…

_Dean combed his shaky fingers through his styled hair and then straightened his tie. He looked nervous and anxious. He looks pale, Andy noted as she watched him through the one-way mirror. A bead of sweat trailed down his cheek and he began to pace back and forth the small interview room. She wished she could be there for him, to tell him that it would go well and to not be worried. Unfortunately, Best had ordered her to stay away from her 'abductor'—he did not give a good reason why, which irritated her to no end. _

_The door creaked open, pulling her attention from Dean to an older woman who stepped inside, dragging a small girl behind her by the hand. The child was beautiful. Her sun-bleached blond hair fell just past her shoulders, and her rounded face held the most amazing green eyes she had ever seen. She looked like a miniature Dean, only a girl version. The woman who entered with the girl, no doubt her social worker, ushered the child towards her father, encouraging her with whispered words Andy couldn't quite hear. Dean, who had already knelt to his knees to be eye-level with the girl, had tears dripping down his face._

"_Hello, Emily." He said, his voice cracking. "You probably don't remember me… but I'm your daddy."_

_The little girl looked at him, unsure, as if wondering what to do. She slowly took the few steps towards him and wrapped her arms around his neck. Andy turned away from the scene, letting them have their moment…_

Andy nodded slowly. "Yeah, I was there."

"Knowing how insistent you were on Dean getting to visit his daughter, it must have been a great moment to see them reunited."

She shrugged nonchalantly. "Yeah, I guess so."

The psychologist smiled slightly, as if forcing herself not to show her annoyance as she changed the subject that Andy was so clearly over. "Why don't you tell me about Gavin?"

Andy looked at her, confused and surprised. "What about Gavin?"

"Well, you were sort of a mother figure to that boy for several days. You were responsible for his safety." She sat up straighter, if that was possible. "How did that affect you?"

Andy could not help but wonder if this lady memorized all of her questions from a textbook in college. "That's my job. It did not affect me differently than it does in any other case."

"Hmm…" the psychologist said. "Have you seen Gavin since you were rescued?"

"I think the very fact you're asking me that question right now means that you know I did…"

_Andy hurried into the police station, out of breath and sweating through her multiple layers. She found Traci immediately and rushed to her friend's side. "What's going on? What's wrong?"_

_Traci chuckled, amused at Andy's panic. "I didn't say anything was wrong, sweetie, I just said to get down here ASAP. Someone's here to see you. Come on."_

"_Who?" Andy wondered aloud, following the detective towards her desk. As she rounded a corner, she heard his little voice before she even saw him._

"_ANDY!"_

_A wide smile crossed her face as little Gavin squirmed in the arms of the man who held him, scrambling to get out. The man gently lowered the child to the floor, and Gavin took off running into her outstretched arms—grinning ear to ear. Their bodies crashed together, but Andy hardly recognized the impact to her sore ribs. He buried his face into her shoulders as he wrapped his arms around her neck, pulling tight and nearly cutting off all airflow._

"_Hey buddy!" She greeted, prying him away to look at his face. He turned to look at her, almost looking like an entirely different kid—all fear gone and joy practically radiating from him. "How have you been?"_

"_Good." He answered with an enthusiastic nod. "I brought you cookies. I help bake them!"_

"_That sounds amazingly yummy." She said, giving the kid another squeeze…_

"I don't want to talk about Gavin."

The psychologist looked down at her notes, her nose wrinkling. "Well, looks like we're running out of things to talk about. How about we talk about the core reason you're here—tell me about your relationship with your abductor."

"Dean." Andy automatically corrected, the term 'abductor' made her skin crawl. She let her shoulders slump and leaned her head against the back of the couch. As much as she hoped to convince the shrink to skip the subject, Andy knew she'd likely fail. She'd have to do it if she wanted her job back. "What is there to talk about? You have the reports. You know what happened."

"Yes, you're right, I do." The woman said as she pulled some papers out from under her notepad, looking through them. "Honestly, if I base my findings off of just these reports, I would seriously have to consider your state of mind and wonder if anything has changed since then."

"Do you mean do I hate Dean for what he did now? No."

"That is exactly what I mean." Her psychologist seemed pleased and surprised, making Andy regret she had said anything. "Why don't you hate Dean for what he did? Or maybe a better question, why do you like him?"

Andy did not know how to explain it. She hadn't tried to really explain it to anyone, not that anyone had tried to understand, but she still didn't fully comprehend it herself. She surprised herself by answering. "He didn't do anything with the intent of hurting anyone—he only wanted to see his daughter. If I hadn't pulled him over that day, he would have left Gavin at a fire station or something and went to see his kid. None of this would have happened. People wouldn't be looking at me as if I were crazy; Dean wouldn't be in prison… everything would have been okay."

"You blame yourself?" The psychologist clarified.

Andy nodded.

Alexandra leaned forward. "Andy…" she began carefully, her tone showing that she knew she treaded sensitive waters. "You can't know what Dean would have done with the boy if you hadn't come along. Even if his intentions were good, he may have reacted violently when things didn't go his way."

"I don't believe that." She truly didn't.

"I know you don't." She nodded. "But, Andy, did you know there is a fire station just a few blocks away from the place where you pulled Dean over?"

Her words surprised her. She hadn't thought about it, but the psychologist was right—Dean must have just passed it before she pulled him over. "He probably didn't even know it was there."

"He drove right past it." She said seriously, though Andy already knew that. "Street cameras show the car passing it a minute before you pulled him over—he ran a red light…" The psychologist sounded almost apologetic as she added, "He wasn't going to stop."

"Well, maybe not that one… he probably wanted to get out of the city as fast as he could." She tried to excuse his actions, not liking the psychologists' insinuation. "Dean was panicking, he wasn't even thinking straight."

"Exactly. He wasn't thinking straight. That's a very dangerous mindset to have, especially when you're panicking."

"He wouldn't have hurt Gavin—I know it." Andy said, her words confident.

The psychologist nodded slowly, looking as if she debated sharing more. "Would you like to hear a text he sent to a prison buddy just five minutes after he stole the car?"

Andy's heartbeat increased. She hadn't even thought to look at his texts. What did he say?

The psychologist looked down at a paper in hand. "_Fucked up. Gotta dump a kid. Ideas?"_

"You can't tell what he means by that." Her words sounded weak, like she didn't believe them herself.

"Andy—do you hear yourself right now? If this was any other case and you stumbled upon this text, how would you interpret it?"

She swallowed, searching for the right thing to say. "This wasn't just any case."

"I know this is hard for you, Andy. I need you to distance yourself, just for a moment. Try thinking unbiased, okay? Say there was this man, who just got out of prison for assault and battery, having nearly beaten a man to death. The first thing this now free man does is steals a car, and kidnaps a child—though that was unintentional, of course. He gets pulled over for speeding, pulls a gun on a cop, beats and kidnaps said cop. He keeps both of them as hostages for a couple days until he is forced to give up."

Andy's throat felt dry and her stomach ached. She did not like how this conversation was going.

"How many opportunities do you think that man would have had to do the right thing? If he was such a standup guy? Forget the fire station, he could have handcuffed you in the kid in your squad unit, or locked you in the trunk… there was a million possibilities."

"He also could have shot me or Gavin, but he didn't." Andy retorted bitterly. The psychologist's attack on Dean felt personal, as if the woman was attacking her. "Oh wait, that's right—his gun wasn't even loaded."

"He had a bag of ammo in his jacket pocket."

Andy's heart stopped momentarily. She took a couple deep breaths to fill her screaming lungs, and stared at the woman in disbelief. She had to be lying—but she couldn't be. "I don't believe you."

The psychologist slowly pulled out pictures from inside her notebook, sliding them across the coffee table's surface. "Police case evidence four-thirty-one and four-thirty-eight."

Andy hesitantly eyed the pictures, not wanting to see them but knowing she had to. The pictures were of bagged bullets and a couple texts. The very sight of the evidence made her stomach churn. Her perception of the man she had admired and defended slowly crumbled around her.

"Andy, you know—"

"Can I be done?"

The psychologist leaned forward and pushed her glasses further up the bridge of her nose. "I really think we should talk about this."

Andy stood, on the verge of tears as she slipped on her coat and zipped it shut. "I'm sorry, I should have worded that differently—I am done."

With that, she left, feeling betrayed, foolish, and exposed. She didn't know what to believe anymore.

* * *

I hope the fact this chapter was a little longer than most of mine slightly makes up for the delay in updates. I promise I will try to be more regular soon. Please leave a review and let me know what you thought.


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: Thank you for your kind words! I love hearing from you.

* * *

Her heart beat so hard she thought it was ready to leap from her chest. She had to remind herself to breathe as her brain was elsewhere occupied trying to digest what she was feeling—to identify the emotions that were running ramped and free. Her right foot didn't seem to know what to do, so it bounced freely on the ground, as if tapping to a beat that didn't exist.

The conversations happening around her smothered her. She heard bits and pieces of what her neighbors were saying—talking about the upcoming holidays, visiting hours, and money issues—they made her feel more anxious about being here. She folded her hands on the desk before, trying to tame her nerves.

Her eyes caught the movement in front of her, and she looked up to see Dean sitting across from her—only a piece of thick glass separated them. Dean grinned like a fool as he reached for the nearby phone, seeming excited to see her. She hesitated, not so excited to see him, before slowly lowering the headset to her ear. The voice was smooth and kind—the voice she had grown to admire.

"Thank you for visiting, Andy. It's been weird not seeing you every day." He started, seeming completely oblivious to her demeanor. "How are you doing? You look better than the last time I saw you."

"What would have happened if I hadn't come along?" Her sharp, hurt words interrupted and sliced through the light, comfortable air. She did not feel the need to skirt around the bush. She hadn't come to visit a friend—she came for answers.

Dean looked genuinely confused, as if unsure what she meant. "W-what?"

"If I hadn't pulled you over that day… what would have happened?" She hoped her eyes were as piercing as his were to her. "Would I have read about a happy reunion with a kidnapped child and his parents, or a gruesome murder of a preschooler?"

As surprised as Dean first appeared, he quickly composed himself, his face serious. "I already told you. I was going to drop the kid off at a fire station or something."

Andy's jaw clenched as her desire to reach through the glass and strangle the man escalated. His false words cut through her like a knife, leaving her feeling more hurt than bitter or betrayed. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a picture of his text, slamming the photo against the glass with a loud bang, startling the people around her. "Then what the hell is this?!" She demanded to know, her voice breaking as her emotions were getting the best of her. She was on the verge of crying. Her words begged him to prove the psychologist wrong—to prove her own, new thoughts about him wrong. "Explain this!"

Dean only looked at the picture for a second, before slumping back into his chair, shaking his head in apparent shame—nearly confirming it all. He pinched the bridge of his nose, as if it would change something. He looked back at Andy, his eyes wide and scared. "I-I… I don't think I really would have done that."

"You don't _think_?!" Her voice cracked again, his words stinging more than they should have. She tossed the paper aside, hating the very fact it existed. She wiped away a tear as she imagined being called onto little Gavin's murder scene. "You mean you actually considered it?!"

Dean paused a moment before nodding solemnly. "Of course I did. Andy… I thought I would go back to prison before I saw my daughter. I thought dropping the kid off somewhere would be too dangerous—that someone would stop me or that I'd be recognized."

"When did you remove the bullets from the gun?" Andy asked, hardly even listening to his responses. She knew what his predictable answers would be. She pushed her chair back, distancing herself from the man, wanting to be as far away from him as possible.

The man looked like he was about to be sick as he shook his head, his face pleading with her to understand. "Andy, please just understand—"

"When?!" Andy repeated, not wanting to hear anything else he had to say.

"After I let Gavin go. I knew there was no chance in hell that I was getting out of there a free man." He seemed to note her surprised face. "Yes… I knew you were lying to protect the kid. I lied when I said I hadn't shot a gun before… I grew up with guns. I don't can't really explain it, but I needed you to still believe I was a good guy, and I thought it would look better if I wasn't an armed man either."

Andy stared at him, not even recognizing the man who sat before her. "You played me like a fool."

"No, no, it wasn't like that." He insisted, his head shaking so hard she thought it might pop off. "Well… okay, maybe it was—at first—but everything else that I told you was the truth. You have to believe me. Being around you, even just for those few days, made me want to be a better person."

She shook her head in disbelief, calling him out on his bullshit. She wiped more tears away. "I'm such an idiot." She said more to herself than him as she stood, prepared to leave.

Dean stood quickly as well, pushing himself against the glass as far as he could go, as if trying to physically stop her. "Wait, wait Andy!" He screamed after her, only continuing when she raised the phone to her ear again, looking utterly done with him. "Andy… there is no way I could ever repay you or thank you enough for everything you have done for me and my kid. You saved my life… probably Gavin and Emily's too. I was an idiot. I made stupid decisions. I realize that now. I… I was going to take her—my daughter… I was going to kidnap her and move to Alaska or something. What kind of life would that have been? On the run with a person she didn't even know?"

His words surprised her, but gave little comfort. She hung up the phone, done with the conversation—done with him. The image of what could have been played in her mind, sending shivers down her spine at the very thought. She felt more foolish than she could ever remember. How had she allowed herself to be so naïve? So gullible? Her friends had been right, and she had treated them horribly.

She hurried out of the facility as fast as her feet would carry. The moment she stepped outside she saw him—Sam. He stood just feet away, his hands in his jacket pockets, looking hesitant and apologetic—as if he didn't know if he should be there or not. He was the first to speak. "I had a feeling you'd be here."

Maybe it was his words, or the way he said them, or the fact he had been there for her more than anyone else the past two weeks, but she found herself uncharacteristically moving towards him, wrapping her arms around his waist as she hugged him. She buried her face into his chest; he took that as a cue to wrap his arms around her. In that moment, she broke. She broke down in a way she had not allowed herself to do in years.

She cried about everything. The fear and pressure she had endured during the time she was kidnapped and held hostage, the responsibility she had towards Gavin and his safety, the anxiety over the fact that Gavin may have been murdered by a man she had grown to trust, the fact that Dean was not the man she thought she was, the betrayal and foolishness she felt… even mixed emotions she felt about the conversation she and Sam had shared two weeks ago made her cry even harder. The tears fell freely from her eyes, she didn't bother to try and stop them—it would be impossible anyway. Sam's grip around her tightened as her small frame shook with sobs, comforting her more than his soft reassuring words.

"I'm such an idiot." Her muffled and broken voice spoke. "Why do I always do this? I'm so gullible."

"Hey, hey…" Sam objected, pushing her away from him—she instantly missed his warmth. He searched her fact until their eyes met. "You, Andy McNally, are not an idiot. Not even close. If you are right about someone even just once, then it's worth it. That's what I love about you, Andy. Your faith in people, even towards those who don't deserve it… that's what makes you a damn good cop."

"Why did you do it?" Her question was random, even to her.

Sam stared blankly.

Andy struggled to compose herself long enough to explain. "Helping Dean see his kid… why did you do it? You knew about the texts and the bullets, but you helped him anyway."

"I wanted to help you." Sam said with a shrug. "I was worried that if Dean made it to trial, you might testify in favor of him, which is something I thought you might grow to regret later on… once you knew everything. I also knew you wouldn't want that poor kid to get dragged into this mess again. It was a win-win, really. The tax payers wouldn't have to pay for an expensive trial, Dean would see his kid… it all worked out."

Andy smiled at the older officer, feeling extremely honored in that moment to know him. "Thank you."

Sam nodded bashfully, looking away from her. "Yeah, no problem... you want a ride home?"

She debated only a second. "Yeah… yeah, that would actually be great. Thanks."

Sam nearly beamed—you would have thought he won the lottery with that smile. "Great. I'm parked just over here…"

* * *

I have more for you, but I don't have time to get it done before Christmas. I also should note that I will be out of the country until the 5th, so I probably won't update until after then. In any case, MERRY CHRISTMAS! Please leave a review letting me know what you thought! :)


	17. Chapter 17

A/N: Sorry for the wait! I am finally back into the country and back into writing. Thanks for your reviews. Enjoy.

* * *

_**Previously on 'Stumbled'…**_

_Andy hurried out of the prison facility as fast as her feet would carry. The moment she stepped outside she saw him—Sam. He stood just feet away, his hands in his jacket pockets, looking hesitant and apologetic—as if he didn't know if he should be there or not. He was the first to speak. "I had a feeling you'd be here._

0o0o0o0o

"_You want a ride home?" Sam asked._

_She debated only a second. "Yeah… yeah, that would actually be great. Thanks."_

* * *

Sam shoved his keys into the ignition and turned the heater on full blast, a blast of icy cold air hit instead, doing little to defrost the frozen pair of them. He glances towards Andy, watching as she fumbled with her seatbelt and skillfully avoided him. He put the truck into reverse and backed out of the parking space, still trying to figure out what made Andy say yes to his invitation to drive her home. She had had little to do with him the past two weeks, only talking to him when it was absolutely necessary or when it involved Dean.

He pulled into the stream of traffic, staying in the slow lane as he drove exact speed limit. No more, no less—he wanted to drag the ride out as long as possible.

"I have to apologize to a lot of people at the station." Andy said randomly, looking out her window with a sigh.

Sam was relieved by her words, glad that she had broken the ice and they wouldn't have to endure a car ride in silence. "They'll understand… they'll just be happy you're back."

Andy nodded slowly, but did not comment more on the subject, deciding to end it there with her silence. It was a full minute before she spoke again. "He was going to kidnap her. Dean… he was going to kidnap his daughter."

Her words did not surprise him, he had figured that had been Dean's plan, but he wished he had comforting words to speak.

"If I hadn't pulled him over, who knows what would have happened? To both her and Gavin… Before today I honestly thought it would have been better if I hadn't been there, if I hadn't pulled him over."

"But you were there. You were there when you needed to be. You probably saved that boy's life."

She nodded again, though her distant expression made him wonder if she even heard what he said. What was she thinking about? What was going on in her overworked brain of hers? He would swear he could almost see the gears turning from behind her eyes.

"I was there." She said absently, as if to assure him she heard him.

He drove in silence until he heard her sniffle, and turned to look at her, but she had turned her face towards the window. "You okay?"

"I'm fine." She responded—too quickly. "No, I'm not. I'm not sure. I'm feeling overwhelmed."

"You—"

"I'm fine." She changed her mind again, her words sounding unsure. I mean, I'm not really, but I am…"

Sam was completely confused, but decided to not ask for clarification. It was probably just one of those things he would never understand. "Understandable."

They pulled up to the curb outside of Andy's apartment complex, too quickly for Sam's taste; as he had been hoping to somehow prolong the ride for just a bit longer. He watched as Andy reached over to unbuckle herself, and realize he had to do or say something. He may not have another chance—Andy had not talked to him this much since he broke things off, he felt like she had opened the door to an actual communication, even if just a crack. "Wanna talk?"

She shook her head, looking exhausted as she scrambled out of the truck, letting all the cold air back into the once warm interior. "No."

He nodded understandably, obviously disappointed but trying to respect her decision.

"But I could use a drinking buddy."

Sam was surprised by her words, but did not take time to dwell on them as he cut the engine and pulled his keys out of the ignition. He could not for the life of him wipe away the small smile that spread on his face.

Andy slid another bottle of beer down the countertop, watching it nearly topple over before arriving in Sam's outstretched hand. His reflexes were slower than normal as he barely caught the drink. She giggled audibly, knowing good and well that the alcohol had already gotten to her. They had both knocked back three beers already, leaving her feeling more relaxed than she had in a long time. "Dude, if you break it you're totally cleaning up the glass. There's a broom next to the fridge."

Sam laughed, and Andy could not help but note that she had not heard his laugh in quite some time. He rarely laughed anyway, even when they were together, but it had been since Jerry died that he seemed even remotely happy. "If your aim wasn't so far off this wouldn't even be an issue."

She faked a gasp. "What are you insinuating, mister? That the alcohol is affecting me?"

"No…" He said, smiling. "More like you slide like a girl."

Andy laughed, taking another drink before answering. "Well, for your information I am a girl."

He shrugged innocently, though his expression held a smidgen of smugness. "Exactly."

She stuck unconsciously stuck her tongue at him, seeming to have lost control over her own actions. "Look at you, Mr. Smart Alec!"

He smiled again with another shrug, faking being bashful.

Andy rarely ever saw him like this—with his guard completely down. In fact, it had only once or twice before. Neither of them were generally the type of people who let their guards down, or let alcohol influence them into doing so. It was an odd moment. Their conversation quickly died down until it was non-existent, and they simply stared at each other, eyes searching—searching for something unknown, answers maybe.

She did not see it coming, did not expect it at all, but when Sam closed the small space between them, his lips pressing against her own, she knew she should have. She didn't have time to react, to think about it, to decide if she was even okay with it or not. Her body reacted instinctively before her mind could think rationally. Her right hand found his shrubby cheek while her left found the back of his neck. Sam's hands were busy too, finding her waist as he pulled her closer, if that was possible.

Her feet had a mind of their own as well; they scrambled awkwardly towards the nearby couch. Their feet kept bumping into each other, nearly knocking them over more than once. It sort of felt like a weird for of a three-legged race. Her mind was still blank, but it was working hard, slowly catching up to reality. It wasn't until she felt his hands slide under her shirt and up her back that reality finally kicked in. "What are we doing?" She groaned, both regretful and relieved as she pulled away from his body, her own desiring to return to him.

Sam pulled further away, out of breath and looking genuinely embarrassed. His eyes were wide as he seemed to struggle for the right words. "I uh… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to… I…"

Andy stood from the couch and pulled her shirt down, the effects of the alcohol quickly wearing off as she sobered up. She felt like such an idiot and pressed her hand to her head, where an instant headache had formed.

"Andy…" Sam followed her back into the kitchen, straightening his own shirt. "I didn't come in for this. I didn't—"

"I know, I know." She said, truly believing him as _that_ had been the last thing on her mind, but it didn't make it any better. "We just… we can't."

Sam nodded slowly in agreement for a moment, but then stopped abruptly. "Why can't we?"

Did he really just say that? She shot him an annoyed look, ready to kick him out of the apartment.

"No, no I didn't mean it like that!" He said quickly, his hands up in surrender. "What I meant was, why can't there be a 'we' again?"

Andy swallowed and shook her head, really not wanting to have this conversation right now.

"No, no we need to talk about this." Sam insisted, looking desperate. "Andy, please. I've tried to respect your decision to let it be, but I can't. Please, can't we just talk?"

Andy tried to calm herself, but her angry words slipped through her lips before she had a chance. "You want to talk about this? Now? You want to talk about this now?! Why now? Why not eight weeks ago? Heck, why not three weeks ago?"

"I uh… I don't—I don't know." He looked down, sounding nervous but adamant. "I guess… I guess after everything that happened I realized that later might be an option. It opened my eyes. I was wrong, okay? I was so wrong. I knew I was wrong right away, right after I broke up with you, but I kept trying to tell myself it was for the better… it was better for both of us."

"I told you I wanted to help you through it." She said bitterly. "I told you I would be there for you, but you wouldn't let me."

"I know."

"I tried talking to you. I tried over and over again, for six weeks—even after YOU dumped me." Tears spilled from her eyes—tears of anger and hurt. "I gave you so many chances."

"I know." He sounded so regretful it was almost overwhelming. "I—"

"You called me gullible; you blamed me for Jerry's death."

"I know."

She was on a roll, she wasn't about to stop now. "You said your gut was telling you you couldn't do this anymore, that you couldn't be a cop and date me."

"I know."

"I ask you again, why? Why now?" She did her best to hold herself together, not wanting to fall apart again tonight. "What makes now different from then? What's changed?"

Sam took a step closer to her, looking as if he didn't speak—if he didn't explain himself—he would explode. "What's changed is that realized I love you."

Those three words had never brought so much joy and pain before. Having been in a relationship with a man who never once said anything meaningful about himself, never once told her how he felt about her, stand in front of her now and say he loved her shook her to her very core. The countless months of them being together when she had worried and fretted about it, just wanting him to say something she could hold on to, and nothing. Now, after he broke her heart, he had the audacity to say he loved her? It hurt so bad and felt so good, she didn't know it was possible or how to explain it.

"It took losing you to realize that. I know I'm slow at these types of things—heck, I'm bad at relationships in general. I know I'm sarcastic when I need to be serious, I say a lot without ever saying anything that matters… I have a hard time opening up. I know that I made the biggest mistake of my life letting you go, but I know I'll be making an even bigger mistake if I don't try to fix it. Most importantly, I know that I love you, Andrea McNally. I love everything about you. I've never loved anyone the way I love you. My life has been miserable without you. And I know I'm probably too late and that I've blown all my chances, but I have to try."

Andy managed to catch her breath long enough to speak. "Sam—"

"I know this doesn't even sound like me right now. It sounds cheesy and ridiculous, but I mean every word. I know the timing is bad, and I should have talked to you sooner—"

"You know a lot of things, don't you?" She couldn't help but tease.

Sam paused. "Huh?"

She nearly laughed at his clueless expression. He used that expression often when she was attempting to explain (often badly) a plot to a confusing movie or to catch him up on a television series. "Sam…" She said, serious now. "I can't just pretend that what happened between us didn't hurt. What you said to me was real, and it was painful. I can't just pretend it didn't happen."

"Andy, if I could apologize enough I would." He said with so much sincerity.

"You basically told me I was a bad cop, and the only reason you went along with my gut feelings was because we were dating. I don't want to be in a relationship like that…"

"I know." He said for the fiftieth time that night. "Andy, I didn't mean it. I honestly didn't. I completely and one hundred precent-ly respect you as a fellow police officer. You're a damn fine one. You have such a heart for people, which gets you into trouble at times, but I would be lying if I didn't admit that's one reason I love you so much."

Andy sniffled back more teas, not knowing what to say. "Sam… you hurt me so much."

"I know. I am so, so sorry. You have no idea."

She shook her head, his words sounding too good and she worried they were overclouding her judgment. "I don't… I can't…"

"You can't what?"

She ignored his question. "I have a stupid diploma for getting over you. I made a good riddance's list… I—"

"Andy—"

"I can't ever have that happen again." She said seriously. "You have to talk to me, even if you don't want to. If you're mad, hurt, or sad, you still have to let me in. You have to be serious about this, because if you're not, then—"

"I'm not perfect, Andy."

She knew that. God, did she know that. "I don't want perfect. I just need possible."

"I want to give you that and more. Let me show you. I will show you every single day that I love you. I will fight for you, Andy."

Andy was quiet for a minute, before she muttered something to herself. "Just because something's damaged doesn't mean you throw it away…"

"What?" Sam asked, not having heard her clearly enough.

She shook her head, brushing it off. "It's something that priest said to me." She said. "You can't just let us fall apart. We have to try. Really try. Even if we had to go to therapy or something."

Sam raised an eyebrow. "This is sounding an awful lot like a contract… like a marriage."

She stared, wide-eyed. He said the '_M_' word.

"I'm not saying we should get married." He said quickly, looking panicked.

"Me either."

He let out a breath. "Good."

"Good. Okay then." She said, her words sounding nervous. "So…"

"So…"

She stared at his beautiful eyes, both kicking and praising herself for what she was about to say. "We're going to try again."

Sam nodded, not seeming to believe it but obviously excited. "Yeah. We're going to try again."

There was a moment of silence where neither seemed to know what to do or say. Sam finally broke the silence.

"So, is it okay if I kiss you right now? I really want to kiss you…"

Andy smiled. "Yeah… I think that'd be okay."

* * *

That's all for now, folks! Please review and let me know what you think.


	18. Chapter 18

A/N: So, there was mixed feelings about the last chapter (mostly positive, but some negative), so I just wanted to make something clear… I do think Andy is being a little ridiculous in how she dealt with Sam in the couple chapters I had them interact… if you're going off the storyline in the show. However, in this story, Andy's emotions are still all out of whack. Her one of her first encounters with Sam after the kidnapping was him pouring his heart out to her—at that time she was worried about Dean and feeling picked on for her belief in his goodness. Needless to say, it was not good timing and she took it quite personally. Later on, after she is "betrayed" by the person she had invested in and grown close with (remember, this is the first guy she had even connected with since the breakup), Sam (another man who has seemingly betrayed her) pours out his feelings of love to her. I think it is reasonable that she is angry, though maybe she directs more of it to Sam than he deserves. However, I do not think she is a jerk by any stretch of the word. She's hurt and still working things out (Stockholm syndrome is very real). I know this note is probably unnecessary and most of you probably skipped it, which is totally fine, just wanted to share my thoughts. Thanks for reading. Enjoy.

* * *

Sam was not musically inclined by any stretch of the word, but it was not completely unusual to for him to hum a song that someone or the damn radio got stuck in his head. It was, however, unusual for him to create his own tune, and walk in rhythm to that tune. It wasn't until he was halfway through the police station that he noticed his fellow coworker's odd stares and blank expressions. He did not fully comprehend why they were acting different until he walked up to Oliver and Luke, who stared at him, Oliver shaking his head in disbelief while Luke had a scowl on his face.

"What's up, buddy?" Oliver asked.

Sam shrugged nonchalantly, as if he did not know what the older cop was referring to. "Nothin'."

"I haven't seen you this happen since…" Oliver stopped short as realization hit, his eyes opening wide. "… Andy. Oh my god, you guys did it. You son of a bitch, you did it."

Sam turned away with a sheepish grin.

Oliver's face lit up, receiving his confirmation. "Way to go buddy." He said with an elbow nudge.

"Congratulations, Swarek." Luke said somewhat bitterly, already beginning to walk away. "I'm glad you got your act together."

Sam shook his head, chuckling to himself.

Oliver slapped Sam's arm, pulling back his attention. "Hey, so, what happened? Last I remember Andy hated your pathetic guts."

"I dunno," Sam said with a shrug. "We uh… we talked."

"Talked?" Oliver repeated, sounding unimpressed.

"Yeah, yeah… we talked." He said again with a nod. "Then we made out… then we, well, uh, the rest isn't really appropriate for this conversation."

"You sly dog." Oliver said with a goofy grin, and then his expression turned serious. "I'm happy for you buddy, I really am, but I saw how much you messed up that girl the last time you two were together. I don't know why she's decided to give you another chance… she's a good kid, Sam. A keeper."

Sam nodded in agreement. "Yes she is, Oli."

"If you hurt her again, you'll have me to answer to." Oliver said, his voice never before had sounded so serious. "I mean it. Someone needs to be looking out for Andy."

* * *

Andy let out a big breath once she stepped out of the psychologist's office, completely worn out but elated. Traci stood across the hall, her arms crossed and her eyes wide with curiosity.

"So? How'd it go?"

Andy quickly pulled the door shut behind her, gesturing for her friend to follow her several feet away from the door before she stopped. She put on her best, blank poker face and shook her head slowly. "Those damn psychologists—they think they know everything."

"Oh sweetie," Traci said reaching for a hug. "I'm sor—"

Andy hurriedly unfolded a piece of paper and held it up to the detective's face, stopping her friend mid-word. "I've been cleared for active duty! Desk work, of course, until the doctor clears me for physical duty, but still… I'm back!"

"Oh my god, that's awesome Andy!" Traci exclaimed, throwing her arms around her for a quick hug. "So, tell me, what happened? What's changed since yesterday? I'll admit and say I was very surprised when you called and asked for me to pull some strings to see the doc again…"

"You know, I uh, I…" She stammered lamely. "I guess I just saw things clearly after yesterday's appointment."

"Huh." Traci didn't look convinced. "You know, I thought I saw the strangest thing earlier… I could have sworn I saw you getting out of Swarek's truck a block away from the station. But that's crazy right? That's just me imagining things? Because last I remember, we still hated that guy."

Andy bit her lip, but a smiled slipped from her teeth's grip. "I promise I was going to tell you! I just wasn't sure I was ready for everyone to find out. Not right away at least, not all at once."

"Are you sure about this, Andy?" Traci asked hesitantly. "I mean, just the other day—"

"I'm sure." Andy responded with conviction. "I'm more than sure."

Traci smiled and nodded, and left things at that. "I'm really happy for you… both of you."

"Thank you." Andy said, unable to keep a grin off her own face.

"But I will not hesitate to kick his ass if he pulls anything like that again." Traci warned.

Andy laughed lightly. "Don't worry, it shouldn't… and if it does, I think I'd like to have that honor myself."

"Good." Traci said with a chuckle. "Okay, I have work to do, and you have a boyfriend to go find. I'm sure Oliver is suffocating the guy…"

* * *

Funny enough, Traci had been right about Oliver suffocating Sam. When Andy found them, Sam shot her a look, begging her to rescue him.

"Hey!" Sam called out to her, his voice louder than it needed to be. He hurried away from Oliver, standing a few feet away from her. "Uh, so, how'd it go?"

Andy smiled and held up the piece of paper. "I'm cleared.

"Just like that?"

"Just like that." She nodded. "Though I'm surprised it happened so quickly. Just yesterday she talked about how we'd have to do a couple weeks of therapy…"

"Congrats, McNally." Oliver said, reaching over to give her an awkward side hug. "Why I don't I take that to Best for you and get everything squared away?"

"Thanks, Oli." Andy said as she released the paper to him. "I appreciate it."

"No problem." The balding man said as he walked away.

Sam, who sat down and reclined at his desk, pushed a brown paper bag towards her. "I got you lunch."

Her eyebrows shot up as she recognized the bag. "Lou's?"

He simply nodded.

"I could definitely get used to this." She said with a wry smile as she dug into the bag and pulled out a burrito.

"Don't." Sam warmed, pulling his own food. "It's your turn next."

Andy chuckled, knowing he was right, and took a bite from her food. "Mmm… so worth it."

They sat undisturbed eating their food, that is, until a loud screech startled them.

"Andy!"

Andy nearly dropped her food to the ground as she stood up quickly, immediately recognizing the voice. "Gavin! Hey buddy!"

The little boy ran up to her, his arms opened wide. She took it as a cue to sweep him up into her arms, the pair of them giggled ridiculously.

"I brought you somethin'." Gavin said matter-of-factly.

"Yeah?" Andy asked. "What'd you bring me? More cookies?"

The boy shook his head and pulled an envelope out of his jacket pocket, shoving it into her hands. "Nope! It's a birthday… a birthday in-tation."

"Invitation." His mom corrected, amused.

Gavin grinned and tried again. "In-ven-tation."

"Yeah?" Andy accepted the invite, pulling it from its sleeve and smiled warmly. "You're having a cops and robbers birthday party, huh?"

"Yeeeep!" He nodded enthusiastically. "I'm gonna be the cop. You can too."

"Thanks buddy, that's so awesome." She said. "I will definitely be there."

"You should feel honored, Andy." Gavin's mom began. "Gavin keeps asking you to be his new babysitter, and he was infatuated with his current one, until he met you. I tried to explain to him that you already had a very important job, but he didn't care. So, just throwing it out there… if you ever want some experience, maybe to practice for when you have kids of your own, you would be more than welcome to watch him for a night."

Andy laughed at the idea, but nodded anyway. "Yeah, maybe sometime… that'd be fun."

"Yay!" Gavin exclaimed loudly, pumping his fists.

His mom laughed. "Sounds good. Come on Gavin, we have to go. I'm sure officer Andy has a lot of work to do."

"Your mom's right." Andy said as she lowered the boy to the ground. "Thanks for stopping by."

"You should wear your uniform to my party." Gavin said seriously. "Oh, guess what?!"

"What?"

"I'm gonna be four!" He said excitedly, holding up four fingers proudly.

Andy grinned. "That is awesome. I will see you then."

"BYE!" Gavin shouted, waving with one hand while his mom pulled him away with the other.

Andy perched on the edge of Sam's desk and casually turned to him with a crooked smile. "So, Sam… what do you think about kids?"

_The end._

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Yep, that's it. I didn't think the ending was going to come so soon, but it did. It just felt right. I don't want to completely write how their rekindled relationship is going to work, as I am completely sure the show will do a WAY better job than my pathetic attempt. This story was just something that kept me going while the show is off-air. Thank you all so much for reading! Hopefully I'll get around to posting another RB story soon (I have a one-shot in the works). In any case, I hope to hear from you all. Leave me a comment and let me know what you thought. Thanks!


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